I first met Alice in 1986 when I visited a nursing home where she was a resident. Without even greeting me, she immediately said, “I was saved through Queen Mary.” I thought to myself, How did she know that I was a Christian? It turned out that she did not know, but, rather, she just delighted to tell everyone that she was saved through Queen Mary. I heard her greet many others in the same way that she had greeted me. Here is her story:
It had happened forty-seven years earlier, and Alice was then a young woman thirty-two years old. She stood outside the gate of Buckingham Palace. She could see the splendors of the royal residence and wished that she could go in. The famous guards of Buckingham were like statues; they stood silently with their eyes looking straight ahead. Alice knew that they were forbidden to speak, but she tried to start up a conversation with one of the guards anyway. Somehow she got him to say something. But very quickly a messenger was sent, and Alice was summoned before the Queen.
You can imagine her fears as she was brought into the presence of Her Majesty, knowing she had been the cause of the guard breaking the rule. However, her mind and her conscience were soon set at rest as she was warmly welcomed and made to feel at home. Queen Mary spoke to her of the joy of salvation and of the hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you ever felt like Alice, that you were outside looking in? The Queen saw on the face of Alice that she so much wanted to come inside, but Alice could not go into the palace unless she was brought in by the guard. God would like to invite you into His palace, but you cannot go into His palace unless you go with Jesus, God’s Son. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)).
If you were brought into God’s heavenly palace and you were about to stand before the Majesty of the holy God, would you be like Alice and have fears about the wrong things that you have done? God has a message of peace for you. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)).
The guard who escorted her out of the palace told Alice that the queen had often brought in others to give them the same message of salvation and hope. She said that it was her job. If you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you have the same job as Queen Mary and the same job as Alice—to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ, your Saviour. We are told in Psalm 107:22Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; (Psalm 107:2), “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”
Have you accepted God’s offer of salvation and peace through His Son Jesus? If so, have you told anyone about Him today?
ML-04/03/2011