IT was only a sheet of paper, blue ground and white letters, but the man’s eyes were fixed upon it from the moment he entered the little hall with its plain white-washed walls. He read it over and over until—as he afterwards told us—it was deeply “graven on his memory.” But he did not know who the “Me” was, or what it was to “Look.” He needed, like the Ethiopian in the desert, someone to “guide” him to Jesus (Acts 8:31-3531And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (Acts 8:31‑35)). And who do you think was his guide? Just his own little girl, who had come home from her class in the Sunday school that very night, saying,
“I am saved.”
Her simple testimony aroused him to think, and without telling any of them, he slipped into “Amy’s Meeting,” and came home in deep soul trouble. The Word of God which he had heard and read, was used by the Spirit to show him his sin, and his need of salvation.
“How did you get saved, Amy?” was his first question.
“‘Cause I am looking to Jesus, father,” was the grand reply. “What way looking, Amy? You can’t see Him!”
“But teacher says, looking is just trusting, the same as we look to you to give us clothes, and to mother to give us food.”
That was the golden key to unlock the mystery. To “look” to the Lord Jesus for salvation, was just to trust in Him, to depend upon Him, to take Him at His word. Dan was the sinner, Jesus was the Saviour, and he had only to “look.” And Dan the collier did look, and God saved him. There is a wonderful power in the Word of God. Looked at, read, preached, it is God’s own instrument for salvation.
Thus it has been to thousands, who were once careless, godless, unconverted sinners; but a ray of heaven’s own light shone out from the lamp of Truth, God’s eternal Word, which is His instrument used in the awakening and salvation of sinners, and they first saw themselves, then Christ the Saviour as the One who “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)), and that just suited them.
Do you know Jesus as your personal, present Saviour? Have you looked to Him, like Dan the collier? Are you looking to Him now, confessing Him as your sovereign Lord? This is to be saved, to be God’s child, Christ’s disciple, heaven-born and heaven-bound. And there is no other way of salvation.
ML 11/30/1924