Little Annie Gale knew the Saviour. She really knew Him in her heart. She had, in her simple faith, seen Him as it were dying on the cross for her sins, and now in the same way she saw Him seated up there in heaven on His Father’s throne.
Her deep, sincere desire was now to please that dear Saviour in her everyday life. She knew that from ups there where He is, He saw her all day long, heard all she said, and knew all her thoughts. So she wanted to think, and say, and do what He could approve of.
One morning she was made quite sad. A man had called at her father’s house and had laughed at the idea of Annie being converted. Such a good little child as she was, he said, didn’t need such a thing. That would do for “old Dan,” he said. If Dan should be converted and become good, then he would believe there was some reality in believing in Jesus.
Then Annie went to her room, and, falling on her knees, she said,
“Lord Jesus, this man does not believe in Thee, and he does not believe that Thou art really my Saviour. He does not believe there is this real tie between Thee and my soul; but he says if old Dan turned to Thee and was made a good man, then he would believe there is reality in Thee. O Lord Jesus, convert old Dan, that they may believe on Thee.”
Having thus poured out her heart to the Lord Jesus, she went straight to old Dan’s house. Now old Dan was well known to be the very crossest man in the village. He was a wheelwright, and as he worked in his yard, he growled and grumbled all day long. No poor woman ever came in that yard to get some shavings for the fire, and no boy dared creep in there for a basket of chips. No one came near old Dan save those who must have his work.
This morning he was at his work, bending at his saw, when a pleasant little voice said,
“Good morning, Dan! Please, Dan, I want to speak to you, and I am sure you won’t mind; will you?”
That little voice made Dan look up, and so sweet it was that he forgot to scowl. It was long since any one had approached him in that fashion, and he could not resent it; so he sat down as good-humoredly as such a man was capable of, to hear what the sweet little girl had to say.
“Dan,” she said, “the man at our house says that if Jesus could change you, he would believe that there is reality in Jesus. Now I know that no matter how wicked and hard your life has been, Jesus loves you, for He died an awful death on the cross to save you and me; and, Dan, He wants you as well as me. He wants to forgive your sins as well as mine. O Dan, I know He loves you, and I wish you believed it and began to love Him too.”
Poor old Dan! Such words were not what he looked for. They seemed to come from another world. They were from the lips of a little child, but there was a power in them which broke the hard crust of his heart, and tears began to run thick and fast down his wrinkled cheeks.
“Don’t be sorry, Dan,” pleaded the gentle voice; “though we have sinned I know God loves us, for He sent Jesus into the world to die for us.”
But the fact had reached Dan’s heart, and it had broken it, and he wept tears of repentance. Then he thought, If Jesus has died for my sins, then that settles it; that saves me; yes, I see it, God loves me, even me, a hard old sinner. And he began to praise God for His wonderful love and grace.
Annie ran home, and finding the man, she said,
“Now, sir, you must believe in Jesus for He has changed old Dan.”
The message was received with a smile of incredulity, but the little messenger only replied,
“Well, you’ll see.”
And he did see. And so did everybody else in that place see. They saw that old, hard, frowning face turn to joy and gladness; they saw the ill-tempered old man become so kind that everybody found a friend in him; and when you passed the place where he worked you could often hear him singing about the wondrous love of God, and the value of the blood of Jesus.
ML 09/25/1938