A LITTLE girl, who had been taught of the Lord Jesus, and His love for her soul and body, was sent out one evening to pay a bill for her grandmother. The distance from home was pretty long, and the way somewhat lonely.
After she had paid the money and received the change, she turned to go home, but it became dark before she reached there.
As she passed along, a man met her in the dark. Surprised at finding a little thing like her alone, he asked, “Little girl! are you not afraid to go in this lonely place in the dark?”
“O, no!” she answered, “for God is with me.”
And then both of them kept on their ways, and after a little while she reached home, led safely by Him in whom she trusted.
The little girl soon forgot the matter. There did not seem much to remember in simply being asked by a man if she was not afraid; and a little child of nine years can soon find enough new things to think of, without keeping such trifles of the past in mind.
But, this was no trifle; and God made use of it, as He makes the little seed dropped, without meaning, to grow into a bush or tree, after many days.
This little girl was sent to Sunday school after a while, and became fond of her teacher, and was no doubt very much beloved by her.
One day her teacher called her back and told her that her husband wished to see her. So she went with the lady to her home, and after she had taken dinner with her, the husband of the teacher said to the little child: “Do you remember, many months ago, meeting a man on the road in the evening, who asked you if you were not afraid?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered, “I do.”
“Well,” he said, “I was that man; I was drunk at the time; but your answer, that God was with you, clung to me, and I thought it over when I became sober, and it has really been used by God, to lead me to become His child by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to thank you, and let you know, dear child, that the Lord used you in my salvation, not only from drunkenness, but from hell.”
Do you not think this dear child felt very happy and very solemn, in hearing such words?
She has grown to be a young woman, a dear, happy Christian, having had a great affliction in her own body but still able to say, “I am not afraid, for God is with me.”
It is a very precious thing to be able to say that; but every reader of this, by simply believing what God tells us of His Son and of His love for us, and resting on the death and resurrection of Christ, can have all that, and be forever sure of it. We have peace about our sins, by taking what God says about the work of Christ on the Cross; and then peace about everything that happens, by casting all on Him, knowing He cares for us. He delights in having our confidence, our whole hearts. He wants us, as His forever.
ML 09/23/1917