In the city of Liverpool, England, some years ago, on a cold cloudy morning, the captain of a steamer was coming down the street on his way to his ship, when he noticed a poorly clad, hungry little boy standing in front of a fine restaurant.
The captain placed his hand gently on the boy’s shoulder and asked, “What are you doing here, my little man?” The little boy, with a piteous look, said, “O sir, I was just standing here looking at the good things they have to eat in the restaurant.”
“Well,” said the captain, “if you had on good clothes, a clean face, and your hair combed, I would take you in the restaurant and get you something to eat.”
The little boy, with a look of love and gentleness, and with tears in his eyes at the captain’s kind words, brushed his hair with his hand and said, “I am ready — ready now.” To which the captain replied, “Well, my little man, God bless you; come with me into the restaurant and I will get you something to eat.”
As the little fellow began to eat, the captain asked, “Where is your mother, my boy?” “Mother died when I was about four years old,” replied the child. “Where is your father?” “I haven’t seen father since mother died.” “And who takes care of you?” inquired the captain.
The boy, with a look of calm resignation, said; “When mamma was sick, just before she died, she told me that Jesus would take care of me: she taught me how to pray and to love Jesus.”
Putting his arms around the boy, the captain said, “Come with me my little man, and you will always be my boy.” He made arrangements to bring the little lad on the steamer and introduced him to his men, sang: “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 dearly 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 close 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 to 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; I can’t give him up.” But the child continued to grow worse. One day the boy sent for the captain whom 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. O 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.” “But when, Captain?” asked the sick boy. “I will attend to it soon,” replied the captain. “But when?” again asked the boy. “When will you be ready to give your heart to Jesus?” “Well,” said 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 you 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. 6:2.
ML 12/24/1967