O Dreamer Testimonial of Hymn 412

NOTE: This blog today isn't my writing but something a friend gave to me. It is a healing message of God's constant loving presence that is here for all.

“O Dreamer”

The following is a story of healing experiences related to the poem or hymn “O Dreamer” by Rosa M. Turner (hymns 202 & 412).

An Englishwoman from Los Angeles visited First Church of Christ Scientist in Seattle. She is a writer and helps authors prepare manuscripts for publication, among which were “Letters to Strongheart” and “The Robe.” At the time she was working on “The Big Fisherman.” The following is her story.

This lady has an American friend who is a professional entertainer—she might be called a lecturer, elocutionist, or a monologist. Her friend was so accomplished that the military used her to entertain troops and sent her to the European Theater during WWII.

While in England she attended a small Christian Science church in an industrial area. A man in a wheelchair was brought in for a Wednesday evening meeting, and during the testimonial part of the meeting he gave a testimony. He expressed gratitude for Christian Science and said to the congregation substantially that they knew that his condition was the result of enemy bombs hitting the local factory. But, he added, “We know in Truth there is no material warfare, and I would like to have each one of you, when you think of me or when you see me, declare to yourselves that we can all awaken from this dream. I need to be working for our cause, and I want to be doing so.” He spoke at some length about the necessity of the congregation as a whole to rise above the belief of physical warfare, thus putting it in the mental realm. He used the word “dream” several times. Following the testimony, the Reader did an usual thing, He opened the hymnal to hymn 412 and read each verse. Then he announced that the meeting was still open for testimonies and remarks on Christian Science. This brought forth a number of inspired testimonies from members of the congregation. The meeting closed with singing hymn 412, sung with great enthusiasm and inspiration. Whereupon this man arose from his wheelchair healed, and he pushed it home.

Some months later when this woman was permitted a few days leave from her work; she visited a Christian Science friend in a rural area near London for a week. One Sunday afternoon her hostess took her to a neighbor’s home a short distance away through the woods. This neighbor was a Christian Science Practitioner. When they arrived the found a group of ladies from the Christian Science church busy making bandages for the Red Cross. The lady whom they were visiting, after serving tea to the group, said, “During the time we have been together we have all had some interesting experiences, I am sure, and wouldn’t it be nice to share some of the demonstrations which we have experienced or witnessed.” The others all responded readily because they were right in the path of the German bombers that were bombing London and various industrial areas. After they had all shared their experiences, the hostess asked our American friend if she hadn’t had some outstanding experience, which she would like to relate.

Whereupon she told them of the experience of witnessing the man healed at the Wednesday evening meeting where the congregation had sung hymn 412 after the Reader had interrupted the meeting to read this hymn. After our American friend completed her remarks, the group was speechless and broke up immediately without much conversation. Returning home through the woods, this woman spoke to her hostess and expressed regret that she had seemed to throw a wet blanket on that wonderful group by telling them of her experience. Her friend turned to her and said, “My dear, don’t you know whose home we were in?” She replied, “Yes, a Miss Turner.” Her friend responded, “Yes, Miss Rosa M. Turner, who wrote the words of that hymn.” Our American friend had not associated the author’s name with the poem, but all the guests had, which explained the strange reaction to the story. Our friend then inquired at some length about Miss Turner and was told that during the First World War her father had been killed in action. Then following the war her mother’s grief and other circumstances seemed to put them in dire need with limited income, high inflation, and other economic adjustments. Their finances were depleted, and the mother developed tuberculosis and was literally on her deathbed. Accordingly, Miss Turner was in the bedroom sitting with her mother. After having read to her, she gazed across the fields in a very depressed state of mind, expecting the end to come any moment. It was a foggy, damp day. She walked to the window simply to get a better view of the fields she loved so much, for following her mother’s death she was to turn the property over to the mortgage company and vacate. While standing at the window brooding, the sun came out and with it an angel voice saying, “O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking.” Pondering this angel message she rushed to a table and started writing the words of this hymn, which flowed with great rapidity. She was so inspired she hurried back to the bedroom to read it to her mother. Her mother aroused, immediately healed. The mortgage company gave them an extension, and people began to come to them for treatment in Christian Science, resulting in enough income from their practice to establish themselves in the very home our American friend had visited.

This briefly is the story thus far, but it doesn’t end here. When our friend returned to the United States, she was asked to do some entertaining in various military camps around the East Coast. While attending a Wednesday evening meeting in a small Christian Science church in New York State, she briefly related the two experiences that she had in connection with hymn 412. As I recall, she gave the last testimony, and the Reader spontaneously called for hymn 412 as the closing hymn. It was sung with great inspiration. After the singing a strange incident occurred. A young man walked down from the congregation and took over the organ before the regular organist could start the postlude. It was intently noticed by the congregation, who stood in silence and watched the proceedings. This young man had been this church’s organist until he was drafted into the military service. In combat, a shell had exploded near him and to human sense it injured his ears and caused him to be deaf. Returning home from service he had been faithful to his teaching in Christian Science and attended church regularly. He had either heard our friend’s testimony sufficiently to get the import of it or was inspired by the singing of the hymn. In any event he was healed, and to show the congregation, he went to the organ, which had been his regular post, and played the music of this hymn, as our American friend had never heard it played before!

 Hymn 202/412

Rosa M. Turner
O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,
             O captive, rise and sing, for thou art free;
The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,
             Unloosing bonds of all captivity.

He comes to bless thee on his wings of healing;
             To banish pain, and wipe all tears away,
He comes anew, to humble hearts revealing
             The mounting footsteps of the upward way.

He comes to give thee joy for desolation,
             Beauty for ashes of the vanished years;
For every tear to bring full compensation,
             To give thee confidence for all thy fears.

He comes to call the dumb to joyful singing;
             The deaf to hear; the blinded eyes to see;
The glorious tidings of salvation bringing
             O captive, rise, thy Saviour comes to thee.1


Hope that you print this off and share it with others, pray with it, and feel Love's healing presence today and always through it.

Gentle hugs

 

1 Christian Science Hymnal Hymn 202/412