MARIA was an only child, and dearly loved by her parents. Her father was a fisherman, and with that occupation provided a living for himself and his family. The mother of Maria was a dear woman, who had learned to know the Lord Jesus as her Saviour, and had pointed out to Maria that love of the Son of God which caused Him to come down from heaven to earth, to offer up His precious life on the cross for His enemies —for wicked sinners! And the efforts of this good mother to thus sow the good seed early in the youthful heart of her child, were richly rewarded; for the Lord let the seed fall in good ground, and Maria soon gave proof that she too believed in the Lord Jesus, and through His death had found life. But her mother did not live to see this. Stricken with a severe illness, she went from this earth, so full of suffering and sorrow, to be in the glory with Jesus—to be forever in His blessed presence who had bought her, and washed her from her sins in His own precious blood.
Through the death of his wife, the father felt that he loved Maria more than ever. She was now all that he possessed in the world. He could do nothing without having Maria with him, and it was a joy to him to answer all her childish questions; this seemed to soften him a little after his wife’s death. One day, as he had to go to set out his nets, he asked:
“Will Maria go with father?”
“O, yes! please;” she answered.
She followed her father, and sat down in the little boat. The father rowed away from the shore, and soon the little boat, with father and child, was quite a way out on the lake. While the father was rowing, Maria saw that they were passing a piece of land, where there were flowers of all colors growing.
“May I stay here, while you are putting out. the nets, and make a bouquet for you?” she asked.
The father seeing no danger, and willing to please his dear Maria, rowed her to the little island, and set her on land, promising to return soon to get her. But what happened? While the father was busy with his work, and Maria engrossed in the preparation of her flowers, a thick mist came up, and where a few minutes before, one could see the blue sky, there was nothing but a grey fog that made everything invisible. When the father
noticed this, he was very uneasy, thinking of his dear little girl that he had left behind on the small island. He hurriedly finished his work, and rowed to the spot, but no matter how much he rowed, he could not find it, and fearing that if he kept on rowing. he would perhaps get farther and farther away, he called out as loud as he could:
“Maria! Maria! my dear Maria!”
Maria who also perceived the danger she was in, remembered what her mother had taught her, that whenever she was in danger or trouble, she must call on the Lord Jesus, and tell Him about it. So she knelt down, and said,
“O, Lord Jesus! I am in danger of having to remain on this piece of ground, as father won’t be able to find it in the fog. But will You save me, and send father to me? Amen.”
She had scarcely said “Amen”, when her father’s voice sounded in her ears, calling her name; for he was right opposite the little island. Maria called back:
“Father, row straight on towards me!” The father, delighted to hear the voice of his darling, rowed right on towards the little island, and lifted her into the boat, and soon they were both in safety.
Although the father was happy at their deliverance from danger, he had still, alas! no idea of the lost condition of his own soul. The Lord Jesus, however, who longed to save him, used his little Maria as a means of his salvation.
Some weeks after the event narrated above, the father became seriously ill, so much so that all his friends despaired of his recovery. Maria, who grieved to see his sufferings, and feared he would not recover, often spoke to him about the Lord Jesus, that He had died on the cross for our sins, and that His blood shed at Golgotha cleanses from all sin.
“Your sins too, the Lord Jesus will forgive, Father!” she said. “And do you know,” she added, “that when we were in such danger of losing each other some weeks ago, I called on the Lord Jesus, and asked Him to save me, and to send you to me, and directly after that, I heard your voice; the Lord brought you near me, without our knowing it; I had only to call out: ‘Row straight on towards me!’ Well, father, the Lord Jesus is near us now, and He calls you, and wants you to go to Him. You came at once to me, when I called you. O, father! the Lord Jesus calls you now: ‘Come unto Me!’ Go then to the dear Saviour, who loves you so tenderly, and who will save you from everlasting death!”
The father, who had looked on the occurrence she alluded to, merely as a lucky chance, and knew not that his dear child had called on Him, unto whom “belong the issues from death”, (Psa. 68:2020He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. (Psalm 68:20)), was deeply moved in his heart, listening to his child’s entreaties, went as a lost sinner to Jesus, and found in Him his Saviour and Redeemer, who rescued him from death, and delivered from the bonds in which Satan had so long held him. O, how happy were both father and child! Now was the wish of Maria’s heart satisfied. The prayers, that she had daily sent up in secret to her Saviour for her father’s conversion, were heard; and not that alone; but the Lord raised her father up again from his sick bed, and for some time they were allowed to live together in happy communion with each other and the Lord. But it was only for a short time; for it pleased the Lord to leave the father for a while longer on earth, and to take Maria to Himself in heaven.
The Lord had used this illness to convert the father, but He used the same illness to take Maria from this world—this scene of conflict and suffering—and bring her to the Father’s house with its many abodes, where He had prepared a place for her. In her illness, she confessed the Lord, and praised and glorified His Name to all who visited her. Nor did she forget to relate how He had saved her from the island. She comforted her father, who was filled with sorrow, and weeping bitterly with these words: “Father! I am going to our dear Lord Jesus. Row straight on towards me.”
Dear young readers! are you as happy as Maria was? Do you too, love the Lord Jesus? If so, then you can also rejoice in that Saviour, Who loves us to the end. If not, O let the story of little Maria spur you on to go to the Lord Jesus—to Him, who longs to make you happy; who will forgive you all your sins, and besides that, give you eternal glory. It is not some that the Lord Jesus calls; no He calls all, and also you. He has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but that all should be converted and live with Him, for eternity.
ML 06/18/1922