AS a little boy lay awake in his bed one dark night, he heard a voice speaking to him. It was not the voice of his father, nor was it his mother’s voice, for they were gone to bed, and probably they were fast asleep at the time. And the voice did not speak to the little fellow’s outward ear at all, but it spoke to his heart, and it spoke so plainly that he could not help understanding what it said to him.
It was the loving voice of Jesus that this little boy heard, and he knew whose voice it was, as it said to him,
I am very sorry to tell you that this little boy did not want to hear the voice of Jesus that night, for he was not willing to give his heart to the Lord at that time. Still he knew that he was a sinner in the sight of God, and he trembled as he thought that he must one day stand before Him.
Why did he refuse to hear His call?
Satan tempted the little boy to put off listening to the voice of Jesus until he grew older; and he listened to the tempter instead of listening to the Saviour. So he refused to take heed when the Lord spoke to his heart that night.
Are there not many little boys and girls who are now doing just what this little boy did upon the night of which I have told you? They have heard of Jesus, and of His salvation:
“O do not let the One depart
Who says in love, ‘Give Me thine heart.’”
Be careful, dear children, that God will not have to say of you what He says in those solemn verses of Prov. 1:24-31: “Because I have called, and ye refused; . . . . Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer.”
ML 03/05/1916