ON a small town there lived an old woman. She was very ill, and it seemed she could not live much longer. She thought of death with terror, for, although, she believed in a God, and even that He had a son, Jesus Christ, still she had no peace, and was not sure how it would be with her after her death. A preacher who was a believer often visited her, and repeatedly spoke to her long and earnestly about the wonderful grace of God. Still it seemed all in vain.
On a certain day the preacher came to her again. It was a beautiful, bright day, and the sun cast some of its rays into the sick woman’s room to cheer her up. Propped up with cushions, with the Bible on her lap, the pool-woman sat in her arm-chair near the opera window. The preacher stood up to go.
“I commend you to the Lord!” he said kindly, while he held the thin, trembling hand in his. “Tomorrow I will come back, but I really don’t know what else I can say to you.”
Outside in the narrow street, some hoys played with their kites, and every time that one went higher than the rest, a loud cheer went up. When the preacher saw them, he went up to them and “Listen to me for a moment, boys! You must not make such a noise. In the house opposite an old sick woman lives, who cannot bear it.”
“Is she very sick?” asked the oldest of the boys.
“Yes, my boy, very bad. She will die very soon.”
“Is she happy then?” the boy asked again.
“No, my boy, alas no!”
“But does she not know the Lord Jesus?” continued the boy, while he gazed thoughtfully at the preacher. The latter shook his head.
“No, she does not know Him. O, if only she had peace!” He nodded to the boy once more and continued on his way.
No sooner had the preacher turned into another street, but the oldest boy, who took up the case of the old woman very seriously, walked slowly to the open window. There, by standing on his toes, he could just look over the window-sill, and when he saw the sick woman, he called out with a clear voice: “Sick woman, sick woman! Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”
Twice he called out clearly and plainly the same words, and then hurried away to join the others in another street. According to his promise. the preacher returned the next day to the invalid. But how surprised he was, when he saw her. Her eyes shone with joy, and with a trembling voice she cried out to him when he was coming in: “O, God be praised! Now everything is in order. All the dark clouds have vanished. Now I am no more afraid of death. I trust in Jesus. He is my Savior.” And then she said.
“Listen to what has happened. When you left yesterday with the sorrowful remark, that you had said everything to me that you could say, and really did not know what more to tell me, I felt more unhappy than ever. I was still sitting in my chair near the window, when all at once I heard a clear voice calling: “Sick woman, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!” And that happened twice. The voice came from the side of the window. It was as if I heard an angel. I turned around, but saw nobody. Certainly God Himself spoke to me. I could not do otherwise than turn to Him at the same time, and now I know for sure that the Lord Jesus is also my Savior.” The hands of the sick woman were folded in prayer, and the preacher heard her stammering: “He died for me! I have only to believe. Everything else was finished, long, long ago. At last the light has broken in on me, and now I am no more afraid of death.”
She lived happy for six weeks, and then left for the Father’s house with its many mansions.
Let this true story encourage us, young and old, big and little, to bear testimony wherever we are and whenever we can, to our Savior.
“Joy to confess Thy blessed Name,
The virtues of Thy blood,
And to the wearied heart proclaim,
‘Behold the Lamb of God!’”
ML-08/29/1920