A NURSE relates the following occurrence in her private practice.
They called for me one day to take the case of a sick young lady. She was a. singer and but twenty-one years of age. Through over-exertion in singing, she had brought upon herself a dangerous throat trouble, and was now lying on a sick bed, from which, as I could judge, she would never rise. On my arrival, the father of the sick lady received me with the words: “Nurse, two things I would like to ask of you; first, do not talk to my daughter about religion, and, second, do not speak to her about dying.”
I gave no answer to his requests and, therefore, he repeated them once more. Again I did not answer. The young lady had no idea of the serious nature of her disease. She was a refined, tender-hearted and lovely young lady, and received me with much kindness.
The next morning I sat in her room reading the word of God as my daily portion. She looked attentively at me. The next day I did the same, and the third day, she said, “Dear Nurse, tell me, what are you reading?”
“I am reading the word of God, the food for my soul,” I said.
Then she said, “Please read aloud.” I did so, and from that time she asked me to read it to her every day.
We had now come to the story of the sufferings of Christ, our Lord, on the cross, and she listened with great attention. Her father came to see her often and was very kind to his daughter and was very much concerned about her temporal needs, and he was continually saying, “Dear child, you will soon be restored, and then we will go to a watering place,” and this he repeated daily.
One day, when her father had left her, she turned to me, and said, “Dear Nurse, my dear papa speaks constantly of my getting better; what do you say? Do you think I will recover?”
This was the dreaded question, but what could be done? “Dear young lady,” I said, “your condition is serious, but with God nothing is impossible. He can, if it be His will, restore you to health and strength.”
She was not quite satisfied with my answer, as I noticed, and the next day she commenced again, “Dear Nurse, do you think I am going to die?”
I was frightened at this bold question, and answered, “My dear young lady, you are very sick, and if God should not work a miracle, it might be so, but as He wills, He is Almighty.”
To this she said, “I see you are afraid to tell me the truth of the matter, but it seems to me I shall never get well again. Do you not think so? Dear Nurse, what would you do in my position? Oh, please tell me!”
“I would seek to have my sins forgiven, and have peace with God,” I answered.’
“How am I going to do this?” she quickly replied. “Oh, please help me.”
I pointed her to the word of God, and to our blessed Lord and Saviour who died for our sins, and to God who gives eternal life to all who put their trust in Him, and we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I prayed with her and continued to read to her out of the word of God. After a few days of patient suffering, she found salvation and peace in Christ, through the finished work on the cross; she was cleansed by His precious blood, and went home—a child of God— with a blessed and happy smile.
The father of the dear saved young lady, was comfortless in his bereavement and mourned much for her. She had told him before her departure that she was not afraid to die, because she was going to her Saviour, and begged him to follow her. He came to me after her death and said, “Nurse, what have you done to my daughter, that she, although so young, could die so peacefully? Please, tell me all. I would like to have such peace, too, so that I may die as she did.”
I told him to read the word of God, and in it he would surely find the way to secure such peace, which could be found only in Jesus. He promised he would read it, and he did so. Thus the death of his child was the cause of the old father asking the question: “What must I do to be saved?” and to him came the answer—as it will to every sincerely seeking soul— “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
ML 05/30/1909