Is it possible that the great God above can care for one soul among all the millions of the earth? It is! The One who came to tell us all about the heart of God said, “Likewise, I say unto you, there joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:1010Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10)). God desired that all should be saved, but He and all His angels rejoice over one. Have they rejoiced over you yet? The lifeboat men will save the whole of the shipwrecked crew if they can; if not, they rejoice to be able to bring even one safe to land. An example of this can be found in the records of the Deal lifeboat.
Looking out through his glass late one spring evening, Richard Roberts, the coxswain of the lifeboat, saw a new wreck upon the Goodwin Sands and, close to it, a solitary man. He was running wildly about, as if afraid of standing still lest the treacherous sands should suck him in. Only one man! Was it worthwhile launching the lifeboat for his sake?
The lifeboat men had no question at all about that, for as soon as the tide would permit there was a rush for life belts and the boat sped to the rescue. But to save that one man was no light matter. Night came over the scene, inky black, and their eyes could see nothing. The waves rolled over the boat, and though they shouted and strained their ears for an answer, no voice could be heard above the noise of the sea. They could only cast anchor and wait through the long night for the dawn.
With the first gray light they caught sight of the object of their search. He was not more than four hundred yards away, staggering towards the boat that had come to save him. Soon they were able to get him off those deadly sands and into the safety of the boat.
The saved man was captain of a Norwegian boat which had run aground on the sands, and he had seen the six men that formed his crew drown before his eyes. He had lashed himself to the mast, and so he escaped the fate of the rest. When the tide fell and the wreck stood out of the water, he had unlashed himself and had for hours run up and down the sands. When the tide rose and night came on again, he had returned to the wreck.
He received a royal welcome when he was brought into the town of Deal, and, depend upon it, not one of the lifeboat men begrudged the labor and the hardships he had undergone to save only one man.
Oh, the value of one soul, who can estimate it? The whole world is nothing in comparison with it. For one soul, as well as for millions, Jesus died. For one soul He seeks today, and that one soul is yours. Welcome Him—welcome Him now.
Take this message from God Himself to you and make it your very own: God so loved you, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if you will believe in Him you shall not perish, but have everlasting life.