During the second great war a dying soldier was brought into a military hospital and gently laid in one of the beds. He realized his condition, for when he had recovered from the exhaustion of being carried in, he turned to the man in the next bed and said: "Mate, I'm going West. Can you help a feller with a bit of religion?”
"I'm afraid I can't," replied his neighbor. "But there's a lady comes here Thursdays to talk to us chaps about religion. P'r'aps she could help you.”
"That's all right," said the dying man. "But I'm not sure that I'll be here Thursday.”
Back came the reply, removing the last gleam of hope from this soul on the verge of eternity: "I'm sorry, but I can't help you.”
But God has His own means of reaching hearts, and possibly someone was praying for this lone warrior in his dire need, for it was evident when he again spoke that the Holy Spirit had been taking his thoughts back over the long years in which he had left God out of his life, back to his childhood, or perhaps to the Sunday school.
These were his words: "There's a bit of a verse comes back to my mind, friend. P'r'aps you could tell me if it's part of a hymn or in the Bible. It goes like this..." Then very faintly he repeated that heart-softening text learned in childhood days, but recalled now in his dying hour: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God." Mark 10:1414But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14).
"Oh, that's in the Bible all right," was the confident reply, and again a silence fell upon them.
When at length it was broken, it was a very subdued voice which asked the last question that it would ever ask down here, for life's flame was beginning to flicker and would soon be going out altogether. "It's like this, mate: He wanted the little ones to come. I wonder would He have me? Anyway, I'm going to ask Him.”
Then he quietly pulled the sheet up over his head, and-the sheet did not come down again. Surely that petition was not in vain.
For thanks be unto God that the One whom He gave to be the Savior of the world has said, "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out!" John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37).