ONE stormy Sunday afternoon, at the hour when a class of young women usually gathered in a little mountain cottage, only one girl waited for her teacher. She had been learning during the week, the sweet words contained in the 53rd of Isaiah; and as she toiled up the hillside, she had been repeating the verses to herself; but they were only to her then, as the “very lovely song of one who had a pleasant voice.” She did not know the meaning of “being healed by His stripes.”
After prayer, with which the hour of teaching always began, Mary repeated the first four verses of her chapter. When she reached the fifth verse,
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed;” the tears filled her eyes, and before reaching the end of the verse, her head sank down, and the fast falling tears dropped on the open Bible before her, as she sobbed out,
“It was for me.”
The intense solemnity of that moment prevented any other words being spoken than these in answer to her words,
“Let us thank Him, dear child, that it was for you,” and they knelt down, and after the teacher had thanked the Lord for opening the blind eyes of her dear scholar to see Jesus as her substitute, the weeping girl, in broken words said,
“Lord Jesus! I thank Thee that Thou didst die for me; that Thou didst take my punishment;” and then the sweet calm of conscious acceptance in the Beloved stole into the broken heart, and peace with God was sweetly realized. Rising from their knees, the teacher saw a troubled look pass over the face upon which “the light of His countenance was shining.” In deep distress the poor child said,
“O! my father, my mother, my brother, they do not know of this joy.” So they knelt again to plead for those still “far off,” and rose up comforted.
The joy of resurrection life filled the heart of that young girl with unspeakable joy, but it was only by faith she could say, “It was for me.”
Have you, who, it may be, are reading these words, ever known the joy of realization, that “He was wounded for your transgressions, that He was bruised for your iniquities, that the chastisement of your peace was upon Him?”
If not, you are far from God; outside in the darkness of unbelief and death; and till you accept the love of a living, loving Saviour, and see Him as your Sin Bearer, there is no peace, no life, no joy for you.
FOR ME
I have heard of a Saviour’s love,
And a wonderful love it must be,
But did He come down from above
Out of love and compassion for me?
I have heard how He languished and bled,
How He suffered on Calvary’s tree;
But then, is it anywhere said
That he languished and suffered for me?
O, yes! for the Bible doth tell
Of salvation so priceless and free,
For every poor sinner who will,—
And so ‘tis salvation for me!
ML 03/02/1924