God’s Wonderful Dealings with Janet Storm (1)

I was a pastor in Vianen for eighteen years. At that time, since there was not much sound truth to be heard, many of God’s people came to this place to hear the Word of God. There also was much strife regarding subjective and objective preaching. You can well understand that it was often my prayer that the Lord might keep me from speaking words of mere human wisdom. I often combined these two points of doctrine, stating that the objective truth must be worked out in our soul subjectively or experimentally.

Among those who agreed with this doctrine was a certain Mrs. Waalen from Vreeswijk. Mrs. Waalen’s relatives lived in Amsterdam and Janet Storm was living with them temporarily. When Janet’s physician advised her to move away from Amsterdam because of her poor health, Mrs. Waalen invited Janet to live with her for awhile. Janet accepted, and the following Sunday Mrs. Waalen and Janet attended my church in Vianen.

They arrived about an hour before the church service began, and went into the room where my little daughter, Margy, was lying. Margy had a dreadful disease with countless open sores on her body. Janet Storm saw the suffering and the patience of Margy while the family tended her. Margy and Janet could not hide their feelings from one another when it was time to leave. As they left, Janet said to Mrs. Waalen, “Why must this child be unconverted, and I converted? Oh, that poor child; I cannot stop praying for her! If she is not yet converted, then it will surely happen soon.”

Mrs. Waalen answered, “I am glad to hear you say that because I cry to the Lord for that child day and night. She is my dear ‘little sister.’ There are others who have her bound on their heart also.”

Janet said, “I am sorry that I must soon return to Amsterdam. I would certainly like to stay here and see what will become of little Margaret.”

During the following night both Mrs. Waalen and Janet Storm were given to believe that Margaret was converted. They said to one another, “Come, let us go and see that which the Lord has revealed to us.” When they heard out of Margaret’s own mouth that by the grace of God she was given to ascribe justice to God and that she agreed to the punishment of her iniquities, Janet cried out, “My dear child, you are not unconverted as you say, but we shall soon together praise God above for what he has done in your soul!” Thus close ties were laid between Janet and my little daughter.

My daughter would sometimes say, “Father, when I am no longer here and if Janet is still living, will you take her into our family in my place?”

“Yes, my dear child,” I answered, “Janet not only has a place with me and your mother, but also with all the children.”

Still, the Lord’s dealings with Janet were not finished. Towards the end of her life I asked her whether the dealings of the Lord with her were as I had often heard. She responded by telling me her story. When I had finished questioning her, however, she said, “But Rev. Vermeer, you surely do not plan to write about me, do you?” I then asked for her permission to do so after she had passed away. She answered, “Do as the Lord directs you, but oh, I have so many shortcomings!”

Early one morning in 1834 a small baby was found on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. Her clothes were lying next to her. She was brought to an orphanage by the police. Recently a woman had visited this institution and had asked for such a foundling (abandoned child) because she had no children of her own. Although the staff of this orphanage did not expect the infant to survive, they nevertheless notified this woman who had asked for such a foundling. Immediately she was given to believe that this infant would not die but live, and that God would win her over for His kingdom. In this her faith was not put to shame. By the grace of God this foundling became a covenant child!

They named her Janet. Her foster father was a rough man, an unbeliever who caused his wife much grief, especially after she took this child into their home. He clearly showed his disapproval. In fact, one time when he was under the influence of liquor, he tried to throw the child out of the window, but was stopped just in time by his wife. Another time he set fire to the cradle in which the child was lying. When Janet was four years old, he took her to the fair with him. He carelessly placed her on the merry-go-round from which she fell and broke a leg.

Finally, when she was seven years old, the government reclaimed her and put her in the orphanage; there she could complete her education.

The “father” of this institution was a man who feared the Lord. This man took notice that Janet was not like most of the other children because she, like Daniel, separated herself each day to call upon the Lord in prayer and supplication. When he asked her why she did this, she replied, “Because I have promised my foster mother that I would do this. She said to me that if I did not pray, I could not be converted!”

Indeed, her foster mother had noticed that Janet already at the early age of four had impressions about eternal things. When Janet was eleven years old, the “father” of the orphanage found a letter written by Janet to her foster mother in which she had written that the Lord had converted her. He asked her why she had not mailed this letter. Janet replied that her conversion could not be true, for then (so she reasoned) she would be a very different girl from what she now felt herself to be. The director himself mailed the letter. When Janet’s foster mother received it, she was very happy to learn that the Lord had fulfilled His promise.

Later Janet had an affliction in her arm, but she slowly recovered. After this she was obliged to earn her own living under the supervision of the board.

She went to work for some middle class people. Her wages were meager indeed, but she was hired with the understanding that she would not be forced to participate in their worldly amusements. For a long time everything went well and they left her alone. Soon, however, a circus came to town. Every evening the house was full of people who would be partying late into the night. Janet was very distressed by all this. She warned this group about all this vanity. She pleaded with them to stop, pointing out that it would lead them to eternal destruction. She also reminded the master of the house that this was against their agreement. This man and his friends, however, only ridiculed Janet. They threatened to put her out on the street, and so Janet left their house that very same evening.

There she stood—in the street! She could not get into the orphanage until morning. But Janet knew One who never refused to show her the way. And when she beseeched Him to deliver her, He comforted her with these words, “1 have let thee out of Sodom, and Zoar will be thy refuge.” She then noticed a porch between the houses which offered her shelter for the night.

At four o’clock the next morning the door to the porch was opened and a candystore boy came outside. When he saw a girl on the porch, he at first had unfavorable thoughts of her. Janet, noticing his glance, feared that he might call the police. Quickly, she told him why she was hiding there. When he had heard her story, the boy ran upstairs crying, “Mother, I have found someone on the porch!” His mother, Mrs. De Koe, was a woman with the grace of God in her heart. She had been in a backsliding condition, however, for two years, which caused God’s people to shun her. Only two friends who lived in the same building would have anything to do with her. This had grieved her deeply, especially because it was her own sins which were the cause of her backsliding. Only recently she had confessed her guilt before God and He promised her that He himself would bring His people back to her. He chided her with these words: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2).

Upon hearing her little son’s message, Mrs. De Koe went to Janet at once. When Janet explained her circumstances, she believed her with all her heart. She reassured Janet that the police would not come to take her away. Then she took her into her house, offered her a cup of tea, and since she looked very tired, persuaded her to lie down for awhile.

After this, Mrs. De Koe, remembering that the Lord had fulfilled His promise, went to call her two friends, even though it was very early in the morning. Oh, she could not be silent! What the psalmist sang was in her heart, “Come, all ye people, bless our God” (Psalter 175:1).

In the meantime Janet received much liberty in her soul to tell the two friends who had just come, of the way in which the Lord had led her. This found an echo in the hearts of these three women. Mrs. De Koe was both grieved and happy—grieved because of her backslidings, and happy because the Lord had once again enlarged her heart. These were unforgettable, blessed moments in which they all felt the presence of the King of kings. Janet and Mrs. De Koe both had freedom to offer prayers. For Janet it truly was a Zoar after Sodom, an Elim in the wilderness.

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