GEORGE, a young Christian, had a friend Harry who was a druggist. However, Harry did not share his friend's faith in the Lord Jesus. Every time George spoke to him about God, the young chemist made fun of him. Accordingly George decided never to touch upon the subject again in their conversation.
"In the future I shall not trouble you with this matter," said George, "because you only make light of it. I have only one more word to say before closing the subject, until you care to reopen it — a word from God to you. It is a verse from Psalm 50: 'Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.' Don't forget it!" But Harry just laughed.
Some time after this, young Harry was dozing on duty at the pharmacy when a sudden, violent ring at the door aroused him. A little girl had brought a prescription which the doctor had just given to her mother who was very ill.
Annoyed at being disturbed, and still half asleep, Harry weighed out the drugs, mixed them, stuck the label on the bottle, and handed it to the child, who ran off with it as fast as she could.
After she had gone, he proceeded to put the various bottles back in their places when — horrors! What had he done? He had taken the wrong bottle! Instead of a soothing drug, he had put a violent poison into the prescription. If the patient took it, death was sure, a death of agony!
What could he do? He did not know the little girl, nor where she lived. If only he could find her! He rushed out of the store into the dark streets. He ran to the right, then to the left, but in vain. The darkness had swallowed her amid the streets of the great city. Besides she seemed in such a hurry. Perhaps at that very minute she was giving her mother a draught of the poison.
A cold sweat covered the poor fellow. He was at wit's end. Then suddenly his friend's verse flashed on his memory. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me."
He hurried back to the pharmacy, threw himself on his knees, and prayed to God. He did not make any fun this time. In his terrible anguish, he besought the Lord to help him, for He alone could.
What! another ring? He rushed to the door, and to his amazement there stood the little girl in tears and holding up the neck of the broken bottle.
"Forgive me," she sobbed. "I ran so fast I fell and broke the bottle."
We can well imagine Harry's feelings of relief and joy as he took the prescription and now filled it correctly. It was then he realized how unworthy he was of this goodness of God whom he had slighted so long. But it brought him in deep repentance to the feet of the Saviour and it wasn't long before he came to know Him as his own. How thankful and happy he was! And how happy George was when he learned that Harry had found the Saviour too. What sweet fellowship they enjoyed together from then on.
Messages of the Love of God 6/8/1975