Oh that the Lord would “speak” to me that my heart may hear His voice and that I may answer as Samuel did: “Speak, for Thy servant heareth.” Did you ever observe that Eli the priest told the child to say, “Speak, LORD,” but little Samuel Forgot the “Lord,” and only said “speak.” But the Lord did not forget him. Now the Lord has just lately spoken to me and given me a message I want to give others who, like myself, being very old, are longing to depart and be with Jesus. I have many a time prayed that, as St. Paul said, I might be “absent from the body, present with the Lord,” but the Lord has spoken to me in answer to prayer and told me a wonderfully comforting thought. “As long as you are living in the body you can work for Me. Your tongue you can use for Me; your feet can go My errands; your hands can work or write for Me. Be therefore thankful to be yet in the body, presenting your body a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). When your soul leaves your body you will ‘rest from your labors’” (Rev. 14:13); but, I suppose, no more WORK until our souls enter our raised bodies again. So the thought God spoke to me has greatly comforted me and made me glory in my body to work for Him, whilst I have opportunity, specially in offering Him praise with my tongue and so glorifying Him (Psalm 1:23)
So, dear friends, may it be with any one of you who are aged or sick or infirm, that you may be comforted to be still in the body, to love and serve Him as long as He wills that you should stay on earth. How glad we shall be when we enter into rest, that we have been enabled to work for Him, doing something every day and many times a day to please Him, moment by moment, knowing He is watching and accepting all we try to do for Him, for our works shall follow us (Rev. 14:13). And again, let us never forget this most wonderful thought of all, that our BODIES are the temple of the Holy Ghost: my body, your body, has the Holy Ghost dwelling in us (1 Cor. 6:19), teaching and directing our daily life. Be glad therefore and rejoice in your body. Emily P. Leakey.