"And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Then the king sent and fetched him.... Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" 2 Samuel 9:3-83And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 4And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar. 5Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 7And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 8And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? (2 Samuel 9:3‑8)
Charles Stanley, author of the widely distributed Railway Tracts with the well known initials "CS," recalled the following account of the conversion of a lame sailor: "I well remember an incident that may encourage many a parent in prayer. More than seventy years before this event, a godly mother committed her babe to the Lord, in faith that the child would be converted, and join her above; such was her faith as she departed, to be absent from the body, present with the Lord.
"For seventy years there was no sign of answered prayer. The child grew up a careless, ungodly man, a captain of a warship. He had both his heels blown off by a splinter of a shell. He was now an aged and lame man.
"He had been brought to hear the gospel, being carried into the crowded room. That night the Spirit led me to preach on `Mephibosheth.' (See above.) I was describing the sinner's utterly lost, lame condition, and the kindness of God shown in Christ, not only in giving Christ to die for our sins, but in fetching the poor sinner, just as he is, to His own presence, as David sent and fetched Mephibosheth, lame on both his feet.
"I said, 'Now, you poor lame old sinner, you who have been fetched into the presence of God tonight, where are you?'
"The poor old captain felt it was God who knew all about him, speaking to him; and trying to get up, he cried out, "I am here!'
"God saved his soul that night, and thus answered a mother's prayers, but in His own time.
"It was a happy sight to see the dear old captain rejoicing in Christ Jesus, and sitting at the King's table as a King's son, 'and he was lame on both his feet.' "
We have read of a wealthy hardware merchant named J. Henry, who was struck by a train. As he lay bleeding on the station platform he cried: "I will give one hundred thousand dollars to anyone who will save my life."
Yet one of the commonest tragedies of our day is to witness the colossal folly of men trifling with this greatest of all questions: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:3636For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36).