“Can I live, sir?” were the words addressed to a doctor by a poor young girl as she lay in a hospital. She had been injured in a terrible accident. Now the doctor examined her poor broken body to learn the extent of her injuries. Her voice was weak but she was very calm as she again asked, “Can I live, sir? Shall I get well?”
“I shall not hide the truth from you,” he replied. “Your injuries are so serious that it is impossible for you to recover.”
Solemn as those words were, she was not upset by them. She had not many minutes to live, but she had strength enough to raise her hands toward heaven, saying, “Blessed be God that this did not happen yesterday!”
Quickly after that her life ebbed away and her breathing stopped.
Do you wonder how a young peon could die so peacefully? Let me tell you what had happened only the evening before the accident. She had been invited to a meeting where the gospel of the grace of God was to be preached. A friend had urged her to attend and she did so, somewhat reluctantly.
The Word of God reached the girl’s conscience; her sins, great and many stood out before her mind. She wept bitter tears as she realized that she was a lost sinner on the Way to hell. But the preacher had told not only of sin but also of the love of Jesus. The Saviour had come down from heaven to save sinners through the sacrifice of Himself on Calvary’s cross. Now all who believe in Him are cleansed from all sin. She believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as her own personal Saviour and she went home saved for all eternity. The very next day the accident happened.
And you, my dear reader, are you ready? If death presented himself at this moment before you, would he be for you the king of terrors? Would death introduce you into the presence of a God with whom you cannot say you are reconciled? Or could you face death with the joyful certainty that you were going to be with the Saviour who loves you?
ML 03/17/1968