IT is always a wonderful moment of soul history, when for the first time there is the consciousness of being exposed to the all-searching eye of God. Then there is the involuntary cry, “O God! Thou hast searched me and known me.”
Overtaken by a heavy thunderstorm recently, we ran to a field hovel and soon were in conversation with a shepherd who had also availed himself of its shelter.
“There is a great storm coming, shepherd,” we said; and added, “it is an important matter to be sheltered from that.”
“It is!” he replied seriously, “and, thank God, I am, for I could take you to the very place where it was settled.”
Encouraged to recount his experience, he readily told us the story. “Before I came here,” he began, “I had a Christian master, who often spoke to me of ‘religion’ (as I called it), but I did not appear to listen to him.” I was a great sinner, and had little thought of God. One summer day, ten years ago, I was hoeing in the cornfield, and the wheat was long so that I was nearly hidden. I do not know why, but suddenly I looked around and discovered that no one was in sight. This was not unusual, but that day the thought came to me, ‘If anything happened to me, I should fall here and they would not be able to find me.’ I felt that I was alone with God! Then I flung off my cap, went down on my knees, and there and then I gave my heart to God and asked Him to help me to live for Him.”
“But were you really convicted of sin?” we interposed.
“Yes! for I was a sinner if ever there was one, and I knew that nothing but the blood of Christ could cleanse me.”
“As I rose from my knees,” he continued, “everything seemed changed to me, I was so happy. It seemed as though harvest day had come, for even the corn looked glorious, and I said to myself aloud, ‘If I had known that it was like this, I would have turned to God years ago.’”
“I went home that evening and told my wife all that had happened in the field, and that same evening she was brought to the Lord too. That was ten years ago,” he repeated, “and my only regret is that I was not converted before.”
Such was the simple testimony of one whom God had, in the greatness of His grace and the plenitude of His mercy, brought to Himself. No powerful sermon was used to his conversion, no thrilling eloquence or touching song moved him, but the solemn reality of being alone with God. Then he found that the God against Whom he had sinned was the One to Whom he could turn as a Saviour-God, because of the precious blood of Christ.
Why should you not come into the blessing with the same simplicity? If you would get into the presence of God in the acknowledgment of your guilt, you would find that, under the shelter of that blood, God has not a charge to bring against you.
“And are you saved forever!” we afterward asked our friend.
“Oh, yes! if I hold on to Him,” was the unexpected reply.
“Did you not say that it was the blood of Christ that saved you—and you would surely agree that His precious blood will never lose its value, even though you were to fail?” we suggested.
“It never would!” was his ready response.
“Then your blessing depends upon Christ—and Him alone. You have His own word for it: ‘My sheep... shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand’ (John 10:27,2827My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:27‑28)). Tell us, shepherd, does the security of one of your lambs depend upon the lamb holding on to you or upon your power and care for it?”
“On me, of course, or I should not be entrusted with it,” was the natural reply.
“Exactly: now apply the illustration. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. He has the care of the sheep, and He has said, ‘This is the Father’s will.. that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing’ (John 6:3939And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. (John 6:39)). In that sense we have been entrusted to Him by the Father, and surely we cannot doubt either His love or His power to keep us. To put it simply, it is not the question of your holding on to Christ, but of His holding you, and thus your eternal security depends on Him.”
“Your joy, however, as a believer, does depend on your faithfulness and keeping in nearness to Him, and hence the great importance of following the Shepherd. ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me.’ That is the path of true happiness.”
May you, dear reader, not only find SHELTER from the coming storm of judgment, SALVATION from your sins and all their consequences, but SECURITY in Him. F. S. M.