THE crowd was fast dispersing in different directions, and the lights in the Mission Hall were being extinguished. Just inside the entrance door stood a little girl poorly clad, and with eyes that bore traces of tears. No one had noticed her until a Christian lady, who had stayed behind to talk to those who had been anxious about their souls, suddenly caught sight of the little figure.
Touched with the forlorn and wistful countenance, she stopped and addressed a few kindly words to the lonely little girl.
To her surprise, her only answer was a flood of tears.
“Wouldn’t you like to love Jesus, dear?” asked the lady.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He loves you very much, you know; so much, that He died to win you for Himself.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Wouldn’t you like to give yourself to Him, then, tonight—just here?”
“I expect I’m too little,” was the answer this time.
“Too little? O, dear no. Jesus says, ‘Suffer the little children to come unto Me,’” was the bright reply.
“I thought He didn’t take no notice of the little ‘uns: He was so busy seein’ after the big folk.”
“Ah! but that’s not true; the Lord Jesus has a heart large enough to take in everybody—little as well as big.”
The lady sat down on one of the benches, and drew the little girl down beside her. It was growing late, but this was not of much consequence to her: people who live to win souls for their Master do not look much at their watches!
She soon learned all about the lonely little waif: hers was no uncommon story; a father who cursed and swore, and a mother who spent much of her time in the neighboring public houses.
Before they left the Mission Hall, she had, in her simple, child-like way, given herself into the keeping of the Good Shepherd, who, while He leaves the sheep to follow Him, carries the lambs in His bosom.
She carne regularly after this to the services, and delighted in listening to the sweet gospel hymns. Once even she induced her mother to come with her—poor mother, who had grown hard and cruel through the terrible life she led.
Have you ever said to yourself,
“I expect I’m too little for Jesus to care for me. I expect He is too busy looking after the big people”?
O, what a mistake! How the, Lord loves to win you when you are boys and girls, instead of when your hair, has grown grey, and your eyes dim.
Do you remember the little boy He called many, many hundred years, ago, who afterwards became a great prophet— the little boy Samuel, who ministered before the Lord? And since that He has called hundreds of other boys and girls too, who have gone forth as witnesses of God into the world as burning and shining lights amid the surrounding darkness and gloom.
It says, in the Word of God, that when the Lord wanted Samuel, “He came; and stood, and called” him. (1 Sam. 3:1010And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:10).) And that is what He is doing every day, in your case.
He has come—ah yes, we know that! He has walked this sin-stricken world; he has died, “the just for the unjust.” Yes, He has come, He stands—where? At the door of your heart, and knocks.
He calls! ah! how often has He called you, and you have turned a deaf ear to the loving; pleading voice of Jesus? How often? And as He comes today and calls you once again, will you stop and listen?
“Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth,” was little Samuel’s reply. Shall it be yours? Will you stop and listen to what God has to say to you?
ML 04/23/1933