MANY of our readers know well the story of the little captive maid from the land of Israel, whom God used in bringing healing and blessing to her master, Naaman, the great Syrian general, long ago in Old Testament times.
This story is about a little slave girl who lived on the island of Madagascar years ago. A slave market was often held in a hill town in the north of the island and one day there came to the market a lady from one of the wealthy Malagasy families to buy-some slaves.
She looked closely at one group of men and women, boys and girls, all up for sale and then suddenly her attention was drawn to one little girl. She was looking at the lady and whispering, “Buy me! Please buy me!” The lady did buy her and the little slave-girl quietly followed her new mistress home.
Torn from her home, far from her father and mother and her brothers and sisters, the little girl often felt lonely in the days that followed. But she had managed to bring with her one book, the new Testament in her native tongue, and in her spare time she loved to sit and read the precious volume.
One day her mistress saw her with the Book and asked in a surprised and longing voice, “Can you read?”
“Yes,” was the little girl’s quick reply, “Can’t you?”
“No,” returned her mistress’ reply and to the little servant’s surprise she added, “Will you teach me to read?” Right there and then they sat down and held their first lesson.
The lady was quick and eager to learn and soon she was reading the little slave girl’s one Book. Then the wondrous message of the Book made such an impression on her that soon she was asking others to join them.
Regularly a little group gathered around the slave girl as she taught them to read her New Testament. Soon several of her pupils became true believers, “born again,... by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:23).
Other little groups of Christians began to appear in the surrounding countryside and to worship the Lord, and the work abides today. It all started with a little slave girl who 1,et her light shine, who was willing to make known to her mistress the knowledge she had of God and His dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, much like the little slave girl we read about in the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5.
Suffer little children, to come unto Me, and forbid them not.
Memory Verse: “FOR THERE IS ONE GOD, AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS; WHO GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL.” 1 Timothy 2:5
ML-11/11/1973