I TOLD you last month about the lonely disciple in the African village, who showed the power of God’s grace and magnified His name by doing good to His servants; and now I want to tell you of another disciple — a very little one — not like the other, in the wild interior of Africa, but in this country; not alone, as the other was, in the midst of the heathen, but living among professing Christians, too many of whom, alas! are little better in their ways than the poor ignorant heathen. You see the grace of God is not confined to any country, nor to any circumstances or situation. It can shine in the solitude of the desert, or in the crowd of a great city; in the heart of a poor Hottentot, or of a little English girl: and in both it is the same grace coming from the same source, and giving glory to the same name — the name of the blessed Jesus. Well, one day a person went to see a poor woman whom he was in the habit of visiting, because she was laid up ill in bed, and unable to do anything to earn a living, and therefore obliged to depend on the kindness of any who might come to see her.
On entering the room where she lodged, he was surprised to see a little girl kneeling by the poor woman’s bedside, and in the act of praying for her. As he did not wish to disturb the little girl, he would have gone out again, but she, having seen him enter, rose from her knees, and, coloring to the eyes, hurried out of the room without saying a word.
“Who is that?” asked the stranger, as the child disappeared through the door.
“That, sir,” replied the poor woman, looking up with a grateful smile, “is a little angel.”
“A little angel?” echoed the visitor.
“Yes, sir,” said the woman. “She comes to me often to read to me about Jesus, and to pray for one: and that is not all. She gives me all her little savings, and has just this moment put sixpence into my hand, which someone had given to her.”
Now, dear little reader, an angel is a messenger, and in the Bible it generally means a heavenly messenger. God’s angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them which shall be heirs of salvation.” The word also means one who represents or comes in the name of another. And don’t you think that this dear little one, who went about “ministering” thus to the need of the helpless and destitute, might well be called an angel? In her way she was just as devoted to God’s glory as the African woman I have told you of. If she had not a leg of mutton to give, she gave all that she had, and that, you know, is what the Lord commends in the poor widow who cast two mites into the treasury (Mark 12:41-4441And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 43And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. (Mark 12:41‑44)). Children like to have playthings and sweets, and I dare say this little girl liked them as much as other children. They also like to have a game after school hours, and amuse themselves, and no doubt this dear child liked that too; but, you see, instead of buying toys and nice things for herself, she gave every penny she could get to help this poor woman, and, instead of playing with her schoolfellows, she hurried away when school was done to give her only sixpence to one who deeply needed it. What a beautiful lesson to little Christians — ay, and to big ones too! This was real self-denial for the Lord’s sake. Those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should represent Him. “He went about doing good.” “He gave Himself;” He kept back nothing. Devoted to His Father’s glory, He went on right down to death itself, “even the death of the cross.” He was, indeed, the heavenly Man, and those that love Him should be heavenly, and not earthly, in all their ways. Thus they would represent Him to all around them, and be His messengers of mercy in word and deed to the wretched and the lost. A little believer in Jesus, walking as He walked, might well be called
“A LITTLE ANGEL.”
J. L. K.