Boys and girls like adventures, and sometimes they like to imagine themselves having all kinds of wonderful events happen to them. So I think you will enjoy reading of an adventure that happened to a boy named Gerald. Gerald lived near the coast of North Devon, in England.
Picture yourself standing on a rocky beach, with the waves majestically rolling in and breaking at your feet. There is a safe and easy path down to this beach, but Gerald doesn’t like things that are safe and easy. He is too fond of adventure for that, and he stands on that very beach looking at the towering cliff one hundred feet above his head. I am afraid he didn’t examine the cliff carefully enough, for he decided that he would climb straight up, and then boast before all his friends how clever and daring he was.
Slowly and carefully he started up, up, up till forty, then fifty, then sixty feet were mastered. Then he began to fear that he could not find another step for his foot. The remaining forty feet were almost straight up, and almost perfectly smooth. But Gerald had been in a close spot before, so he clung closely to the wall of the cliff and bit by bit he worked himself up another ten feet. Now his fingers were just barely holding on, and his feet were planted on the very last crack that he could see in the cliff wall. He looked down, and his heart began to pound! He couldn’t go back, and he couldn’t go on. Did he care? Of course he cared — a great deal. He cared so very much that he shouted at the top of his voice, “Help! Help! Help!”
Wouldn’t you do the same if you were stuck there? I think you would. But before I finish the story I want to tell you that God is waiting for you to cry to Him right now. You cannot climb to heaven by anything that you can do. And you cannot just stop where you are, for you are hurrying on every hour closer to eternity. And the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of sinners, wants to come to you right now and save you. You know how very badly Gerald needed someone to save him, and he knew it, too. He knew it well enough to cry out in his need. And I beg of you right now as you read this paper, that you stop and kneel down and own your need of the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour. He will save you now.
Gerald had scarcely uttered the third cry for help, when a little face appeared over the edge of the cliff, and then just as quickly disappeared. It was such a little face that Gerald wondered if the child knew his danger. Minutes seemed to be hours and his hands were getting weaker, but he dared not let go. At last he heard the sound of voices, and then strong faces appeared over the edge of the cliff, and quickly a strong rope was lowered. The rope had a loop on the end, and Gerald knew he would have to trust himself to that rope. But suddenly it stopped, just before it came to him. It was too short! Poor Gerald! There swung the rescue rope within twelve inches of his weaning grasp.
I am afraid this makes me think of some who tell boys and girls to be as good as they can, to read their Bible and pray, and all this will help them toward heaven. Such a message is as much a mockery as that short rope. It was no rescue at all, and it was pulled back up again.
Then came the rescue. A brave man with a rope tied round his waist came swinging over the top, and was quickly lowered to the side of the poor terrified lad. In an instant he let go and fell back into the arms of his rescuer, and they were both pulled up to the top. Poor Gerald could hardly talk; he was so frightened his breath just would not seem to come, but as soon as he could speak, he turned to the men who had pulled him up and thanked them again and again for saving him. They were very sorry that their first rope had been too short, and all were thanul that the longer rope had been brought just in time.
Gerald even found the little girl who had first heard his cry, and thanked her for running for help.
Now, we want you to know that the salvation that God offers comes to you just where you are. God doesn’t ask you to help yourself one little bit, but just to fall into the arms of Jesus and He will do it all. Have you done this? Have you thanked Him yet?
ML 03/14/1954