Sid: That was magnificent. Magnificent, not because he’s so gifted as a musician, but because God’s presence was on there. But how could someone with that gifting could’ve been one of the top violinists in the world want to commit suicide, he was so low. When he went to George Washington Bridge, something so phenomenal happened. Maurice, tell us about it.
Maurice: I was living in upper Manhattan, and that was the closest place I could think of to go to. I got off the subway there at 187th street, or 178th, and I went up to the bridge. I’d just got to the start of the actual climb, and an angel came and stood on my feet.
Sid: Did you see this angel?
Maurice: Yes sir. I saw him.
Sid: Was it a big angel?
Maurice: Yeah. At that time I was very angry, because I knew it was God stopping me. I wanted to go to heaven. I was a believer in Yeshua at this time. I just couldn’t move forward anymore.
Sid: You were immobile.
Maurice: I was immobilized. I felt like such a failure. I couldn’t even do that, you know? I was so determined, because the pain was so great.
And I understand. Somebody out there may be going through terrible depression, and may even want to take your own life. But don’t do it. God loves you. He loves you, and He’s restoring you. He has a way of bringing something beautiful out of the brokenness of our lives.
Sid: Maurice, tell me about the time you did it again
and the wind came. What happened?
Maurice: I came every day for that week. It was in October 1986, about this time. Every day I would get a little farther, and the same thing happened. Finally, the last day I got all the way up to the top,
and I put my leg over the side of the bridge, and a wind came. Just a gust of wind. I was blown back, and I fell to the sidewalk. Cars were whizzing by, you know. Then that angel sat on me.
Sid: Sat on you? Did you see him or just feel him?
Maurice: Yeah, I saw him and felt him. I was just crying. That started a process of…
Sid: Tell me about the time you were so desperate, and you kept hearing a telephone number.
Maurice: Just to lead up to that, it took a process. I didn’t get instantly healed. Most of the time, emotional healing is a process of time. So it was about nine months later or so, and I knew I had to leave the place I was at. I was being taken care of, and a wonderful lady was helping me, but I knew I had to be on my own. The only Christian that I knew was somebody who was at the Curtis Institute in the admissions department. His mother in law was a very godly woman
who lived in south Jersey. I felt I needed to call her, but I didn’t have her number, and I forgot her name. Ha ha!
Sid: That’s a big problem.
Maurice: So I cried out to God. I said “God, what is… How can I…
What’s her name? What’s her number?” And I heard the Lord. He said “This is the number”, and He repeated it to me. Audibly, I heard the number, so I wrote it down.
Sid: You did not know this number?
Maurice: I didn’t know it.
Sid: Listen, when you find out what happens…
Maurice: And I called the number…
Sid: No, no, hold up. Let’s get them back after the break. When you find out what happens when he called this telephone number…
