IT WAS Christmas day, and Alice M.'s 18th birthday. Several little presents had been given her, and she took delight in looking over them again one by one; so time had slipped away, and it was late when she went upstairs to prepare for the meeting. The bells were ringing, and though sorry to be late on her birthday, when she got sight of the town clock it was ten minutes past 11.
Very quietly she opened the door of the meeting-place she attended every Sunday, and determined to wait till they should sing before she went in. A Scripture was being read, and as she stood within the door, closing it noiselessly, the first words she heard were, “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abram, lo these 18 years, to be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16).
The Holy Spirit sent those words of the Saviour right home to the heart of that young girl standing at the door.
“Whom Satan hath bound, lo, these 18 years,” she said to herself; “that is me. I am 18 today and I know that I am not serving God; and they say that if I am not, I must be serving Satan, and if so, I am his slave.”
Little she heard that morning except these words. She saw she had spent all her life—those 18 years, in which God had given her health and comfort and countless other blessings—in forgetfulness of Him. She remembered He had often called her, and she had refused to listen. Yes, she saw it all now; she had been bound by Satan for 18 years. She was bound still. How could she be “loosed?”
The meeting ended, and Alice returned home. Still those words filled her mind. She went to her room; not now to spend her time at the looking-glass, but on her knees before God. Earnestly she prayed, “Lord, I am bound; I am all wrong-oh, show me what to do!”
Even as she prayed a ray of light from God shone right into her soul. “Ought not this woman to be loosed?” came to her mind. “That woman was loosed,” she said; “Oh, that I might be.”
More and more God’s blessed light shone into her repentant heart, showing her that though she was a captive to sin, bound by sin for 18 years, yet “One mighty to save” had come “to preach deliverance to the captives, and to set at liberty them that are bound.”
When Jesus was on earth, He said to that poor woman, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” He laid His hands on her and she was made straight, and glorified God. How very simple and natural it all was, Alice thought to herself; and why should He not do the same for me, and even more, now that He is in heaven? So now she would trust Him.
And so it came to pass that though she had been bound by Satan for eighteen years, she too was loosed that very day!
Can you imagine her joy, dear young reader, when she realized that she was really set at liberty? And my reason for telling you this story of Alice is that I so long for you also to know the gladness of being made free from the dominion of sin, and thus free to serve your Deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ. For as He Himself said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
ML-07/22/1962