John G. Lake was born in 1870 in Ontario, Canada. He experienced a
sorrowful childhood and struggled to make financial success of his life.
Lake wrote, "As I think back over my boyhood and young manhood, there
comes nightmare: sickness, doctors, nurses, hospitals, hearses,
funerals, graveyards and tombstones; a sorrowing household; a
brokenhearted mother and grief-stricken father, struggling to forget the
sorrows of the past, in order to assist the living members of the family
who needed their love and care."
Early into his marriage with
Jennie Stevens, Jennie was diagnosed with tuberculosis and heart disease.
Her conditioned worsened and doctors told John there was nothing more they
could do for her. Lake had experienced God's power in his youth when
he was healed of rheumatism and now he was wondering, "Where was God's
power?" As Jennie lay dying, Lake threw his Bible onto the fireplace
mantle in hopelessness
and it fell open to Acts 10:38 "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit and power; who went about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." It was through
this verse he realized God was not responsible for Jennie's illness, but
rather it was caused by the devil. He walked into the room where she
lay, and with power and confidence in God's word, he spoke boldly to her
that she was healed--and she was!
Lake moved to Zion,
Illinois, to study divine healing under John Alexander Dowie. After
the baptism in the Holy Spirit, John sold all and received the call to
minister in South Africa. John, Jennie and his seven
children arrived in South Africa in 1908 with only $1.50 and no outside
support. Over the next five years, Lake saw 1,000,000 converts, 625
churches planted, and raised up 1,250 local ministers. Due to the
strenuous work, Jennie died of malnutrition. In 1913, Lake moved
back to the United States with his seven children.
Lake remarried, moved to
Spokane, WA and purchased an office building. These offices became
known as the healing rooms. Over a five year period, over 100,000 healings
were recorded. Spokane was declared the 'healthiest city in the
United States' by the U.S. government.
Lake continued in this
incredible faith ministry for many years encouraging others and imparting
revelation. John settled in Houston, Texas to start a church but was
called away by a family crisis and never returned. He settled back
in Spokane, ministering at an incredible pace. He died on September
15, 1935.
