Mary’s father was captain of a large vessel, and sometimes he took her with him for a voyage. As she sat one day on deck, watching an old sailor cleaning the lamps, she asked,
“What are these big lamps for?”
“These are signal lamps, miss,” said the old sailor. “They are hung out on our vessel at night to keep other ships from running into us. If we did not hang these up we might be run into and wrecked.”
The following day the old sailor was again at his duty, cleaning the signal lamps, with the captain’s child seated on a coil of rope not far off. A gust of wind carried away one of the pieces of cloth he was using, and the old sailor uttered an oath. The child heard it, and quietly slipped away down to her father’s cabin. In a few minutes, she returned to the deck with a piece of paper folded in her hand, which she handed to the old sailor. He opened it, and found several warning texts of Scripture written in large letters by Mary’s hand.
“What is this for, Miss Mary?” he asked.”
“These are God’s signal lights,” replied the child. “He has hung them up to warn you, and to keep you from making shipwreck of your soul.”
The old sailor held down his head and wept. God had spoken to his soul through His own Word, and by the lips of that Christian child. He never swore again, but was soon after led to the Lord. On a large type Bible, presented to him by Mary, the words are written,
“God’s Signal Lights.”
Reader, have you noticed these lights hung out by God to warn your sohl? Here is one,
“Flee from the wrath to come.” Another,
“After this the judgment.”
Have you been warned? Have you fled to Christ? If you sail on, disrarding God’s signal lights, you will make shipwreck of your soul, and be lost forever. But you need not. Jesus, the Refuge, the Saviour, is for you, and if you come to Him, He will save you.
ML 07/02/1944