The Secret Place of Smith Wigglesworth

Smith Wigglesworth was born on June 8, 1859, in Menston, a small Yorkshire village in northern England. His early life was one of grinding poverty. As a child he worked in the fields pulling turnips and later as a plumber's apprentice, contributing to his family's survival. With little formal schooling, he remained nearly illiterate into adulthood. Yet beneath his rough exterior was a soul deeply hungry for God.

As a boy he was converted in a Methodist mission and baptized in water as a teenager in a Baptist chapel. He later married Mary Jane Featherstone, affectionately called Polly, who herself was a fiery Salvation Army preacher. Polly's faith and preaching ability inspired him, and for years she often did the public speaking while Smith stood by in support. In time, however, God so transformed his life through prayer and the baptism of the Holy Spirit that he emerged as one of the most remarkable evangelists of his era.

In 1907 at Sunderland, Wigglesworth was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and his ministry took on a new dimension. His preaching became bold, simple, and Spirit-filled. He traveled across Britain, Europe, America, and Australia, proclaiming Christ with an unshakable faith. Reports of healings and miracles accompanied his ministry wherever he went: the lame walked, the deaf heard, and the sick were restored. Yet his emphasis was never on signs for their own sake, but on Christ as Savior and Healer.

Behind the dramatic public ministry stood his secret life with God. Wigglesworth refused to allow newspapers or novels into his house, saying only the Bible would shape his spirit. He carried a New Testament everywhere and would open it frequently throughout the day, often pausing to pray with whoever he met. His simplicity masked a hidden depth. Those who spent time with him spoke of an atmosphere of prayer and faith that surrounded him.

He died on March 12, 1947, at the age of eighty-seven, finishing a life that demonstrated what God can do with a man wholly yielded to Him.