MR. P., a young colored man in the West Indies, had been turned to the Lord, but he did not know how to read. One evening, the preacher he had gone to hear, took for his text, Isa. 48:1818O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: (Isaiah 48:18). The young man spent the entire time of the discourse trying to find the text, but in vain. When he got home he took his Bible and with his finger went carefully over the books, beginning at Genesis. He knew his letters, but he could not put them together, or pronounce a word. However when he reached Isaiah he thought that looked right. With a little search he found Isaiah in the Bible, and knowing the headings of the chapters he soon found 48; then he took the eighteenth verse, and on scanning it closely, concluded that was what the preacher had spoken from the night before. But his heart was troubled, and he wept because he could not read, and because he had so much difficulty to find the place he wished in the Scriptures. He felt vexed to think his mother had not given him more schooling—just enough to learn the letters, but not enough for him to learn to read. All these thoughts passed through his head; but having found the text, he was encouraged to try to learn to read. The first step had been taken. So in the morning he went and bought a Bible out of his small earnings, the one he had the night before being a borrowed one. He had a great longing to know more of the truth, and he rightly thought that being able to read God’s word would help him in this. Would that there were this earnest desire on the part of more of God’s people!
Having got his treasure home, he placed it before him, and said, “Lord, I can’t read; teach me how to read.” Then he opened his Bible and began: words of two or three letters, he could pronounce, but longer words he could not. When he came to such a word, he would turn to the Lord— “Help me, Lord; to pronounce this word, not another time, but this very evening.” And the Lord did help him. When he got hold of a word, he knew it when he came to it again. Thus, with persevering effort, he toiled on evening after evening. Soon he could pronounce, but often he would come to a word, or a passage, of which he did not know the meaning; then he fell on his knees, and asked the Lord to reveal to him the meaning. While he waited before the Lord, He made known to his soul the understanding of the Scripture. Then with grateful heart, he “returned many thanks.”
After getting the meaning for which, he had asked, he quietly waited, and, later, the same thought would be given by some preacher, or other person, and he was thus assured of the gracious help the Lord had given.
Some of my young readers may think, Oh, that’s only a poor, ignorant African! But let me tell you, his intelligence in God’s word, and his spiritual discernment, are far beyond that of many who have had a hundred-fold greater privileges. Mention a few words from Scripture, and with a moment’s thought he will tell you where it is and quickly turn to it. And he is deeply taught of God. Would that we all had more of this prayerful, dependent, searching spirit! “Search the Scriptures.”
ML 12/11/1904