He made arrangements to bring the little lad on the steamer and introduced him to his men, saying: “He will wait on me, and his name is “Ready Now.” He is always ready and you must not call him by any other name than “Ready Now.” The little boy cleaned up after the captain had given him a new blue suit of clothes, and he began his pleasant duty of waiting on the captain, and did so most faithfully.
The captain learned to love dear the little child. Shortly after the little boy had been on board, he took sick and one day he said to the captain: “I feel sick; I have awful pains in my breast. O captain, I want to get to you.” The kind-hearted man took the little child in his arms and pressed him to his heart. The little one fell asleep and was carried very carefully to his berth.
A few days later the doctor said t, the captain: “I have done all I can for that poor child; he is seriously ill and will die.” “O Doctor,” cried the captain “save him; “O Doctor,” cried the captain “save him; I can’t give him up.” But the child continued to grow worse. One day the boy sent for the captain who, he loved so dearly, and as the captain looked him in the face, he saw that death was very near.
The little boy, in a low, weak voice, said; “O Captain, I do love you, you have been so good to me. But say Captain, I am going to leave you; I am going to where Jesus and mother are. Yes, Captain, I am going to be with Jesus. Captain, won’t you give your heart to Jesus? Meet me in heaven Captain. Jesus loves you; won’t you let Him save you and be a Christian?”
The captain, with deep emotion and trembling voice replied “I have been thinking about it, my little boy.” Replied the captain, “I will not put it off much longer.” “O Captain, won’t you let Jesus save you? When will you be ready?”
With tears streaming down his cheeks, the captain fell upon his knees and cried, “I am ready Now— ready now.” And there on his knees, with a broken and contrite heart, the captain opened his heart to the Lord Jesus. About a half hour afterward some of the men came to the captain’s room, and found him kneeling in prayer, the little boy’s arms around his neck—the child cold in death’s embrace—the spirit had returned to God who gave it. He had pleaded with the captain to the end, and had won, a faithful little worker for Jesus to the last.
The captain gave up his position as captain of the steamer and went out to preach the Gospel of the grace of God to poor, lost sinners, and to tell of the dear little boy, who had been the means in God’s hands, of leading him to the blessed Saviour.
Dear young reader, are vou a Christian? Do you love Jesus as this little boy did? Are you ready to meet Him? Do you know Him as your personal Saviour who died for you on the cross, of Calvary? If not, will you accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour now, and then you can say “Ready now”. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2).
ML 10/19/1947