It happened in Turkey years ago. A missionary had gone there with a wonderful message of God’s love to poor fallen men, in giving His beloved Son to die for their sins. But the people did not want to be converted to Christianity, so few would attend the preachings. However, they did not seem to object to a Christian school, and so multitudes of all classes and ages would come to Sunday school, and sometimes numbered as many as a thousand.
Coming out of school one day, the missionary remarked to an old man present, “Father, many years have whitened your hair.”
“Yes,” he replied, “but many sins have filled my years and helped to whiten my hair.”
“Tell me,” said the missionary,
“how was it you became a Christian in your old age?”
“Well,” he said, “it was through my son as God’s instrument,” and then he told this story.
His son was considered a great devotee by his people, because he persecuted the Christians. Nevertheless, he was a drunkard; he would abuse his parents and often beat them when intoxicated.
One morning while he was on his way to one of his vile haunts, he chanced to pass by the shop of a native Christian shoemaker. The shoemaker had just let down the front of his little shop to let in the sunshine and was having his morning Bible reading. He was reading aloud to himself from Isaiah, Chapter 5. Just as he came to the 11Th verse, the poor drunk passed his door and paused to listen. He heard the solemn words: “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”
The drunk was furious. “Come on out here,” he called in to the shoemaker. “I’ll beat you up for insulting me like that.”
“But I was not insulting you, nor was I speaking to you at all,” replied the poor Christian. “I was only reading from my Bible.”
“Let me hear you read it, and maybe I’ll believe it,” said the drunk, somewhat subdued. And he sat down beside the shoemaker, who read to him the whole chapter and many other passages from the precious Word of God.
“Now,” said the shoemaker, “I have read to you a long time; come with me to my morning meeting.”
And he went, for the first time, though not the last, to a Christian’s meeting and there, by the grace of God, he was converted to Christ. He saw how sinful and wicked he had been, how his life was only taking him down to ruin, to death and the pit. Yet he found that the very God he had been fighting against in his blindness was a Saviour-God, One Who loved him, Who had given His Son to die for his sins, and would receive him as one of His own blood-bought sons.
His parents now took their turn in abusing him, and sent him out of their house. His friends also all deserted him. Now he was alone, yet not alone, for he had his Saviour; he became as decided for Christ as he had been before for sin and Satan.
Finally, his father began to think: “What is this I am doing? My son, who formerly abused me, is now all kindness. Now he supports me, while before he did nothing for me; and all this, although I will not allow him into my house. It surely must be a good thing which makes such a change in my son.”
Thus, the old man began to inquire what this new thing was which had transformed the lion into a lamb—a vile, disobedient son into a good, loving, obedient one. His search led him to see his own sinfulness and his need of the Saviour. Thus, he too, by the grace of God, found Christ, Who had been seeking him, and he was now a happy Christian.
“He, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that bath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
“Seek ye the LORD while He may, be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:1,61Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)
6Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6).
ML 11/03/1968