Visiting from house to house one day, I came to one where a woman was in deep trouble about her sick child who was dangerously ill. It seemed to be hovering between life and death. The doctor had just been there and had given no hope of recovery; but he said children do recover in a marvelous way! To this slender prospect the mother's heart clung.
"Will God spare my child?" she asked anxiously.
"Have you prayed to Him?" I inquired.
This was just what she had not done; she had only hoped and feared. "Don't rest in human hopes or be deterred by your own fears, but pray and trust in God," I urged her.
While we were kneeling in prayer, Joe, her husband, came in. With no show of reverence he clattered the chairs about and manifested his impatience in many ways. However, he made no positive effort to stop the prayer. When we rose from our knees, he was standing in the middle of the room with his hat on his head, and his hands in his pockets. He half turned away from us; and presently turning, he said, "Do you think that does any good? Do you think your prayers can help when the doctor's medicine has failed? It's all superstition and nonsense!”
"Our prayers," I replied, "cannot, but God can! Jesus promised, `If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.'" Matt. 18:1919Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19).
"I don't believe a word of such stuff," said he angrily; "I don't think you believe it either. Do you now?" said he, turning to me as if he had just caught me in a trick of trade!
"I have read of such people as you," I replied, "but I don't often meet them. I should like to have a talk with you very much. You have told me what you don't believe; I should like to know what you do believe.”
"I believe," he said, "I want my dinner now! It's all very well for you who have nothing to do. Working makes a man hungry. Now then, Betsy, let's have dinner, and be quick." So saying, he sat down in his chair while his wife hurried to get the dinner. I left, promising to come back in the evening for a talk. I hoped he would not run away.
It is needless to quote all the conversation which took place that evening. The man was very ignorant and self-opinionated; but he admitted that Jesus Christ had come into this world, and had died upon the cross, though he did not know why or what he himself had to do with it. He agreed that Jesus Christ would come again to this world; but even in this he saw no effect for him. He never applied these and such like truths to himself.
Recognizing the man's ignorance and self-complacence, I showed him from Scripture the reason that Jesus came as the "Lamb of God"—that according to the law given of God to His people, the Jews, a lamb that was perfect and had not sinned must die in the place of the sinner who had transgressed. God had said that without shedding of blood there could be no remission; so God provided His own Son to be the sacrifice for sin. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
"Now that the blood of God's dear spotless Son has been shed, there is remission, for all who believe in Him and trust in Jesus for the remission of their sins.
"There is pardon waiting for a rebel such as you are," I said. "Think of that! How foolish for you to refuse the gospel—God's good news of salvation offered to you through faith in Jesus Christ!”
The man's hard heart was broken when he sensed the scope of God's great love and that it was for him that Christ had suffered on Calvary. He did not answer or reason, but took the Savior. Joe, the once scornful infidel, was now converted, and he became a wholehearted, joyful Christian.
Soon Joe began to inquire in his factory among the several hundreds of men who worked there, how many of them knew the Lord Jesus as their Savior. How astonished he was to find how few, how very few they were! This weighed heavily on his heart, and he prayed much about it.
One morning while looking at the hundreds of men pouring out of the various outlets of the factory at the breakfast hour, Joe was overcome and cried out, "What a shame! what a shame!" Bursting into tears, Joe held up his hands, crying out again and again, "What a shame!”
"What's the matter, Joe," said several voices, "what's the matter?”
"What a shame," he replied, "that Christ has so few, and the devil so many in this factory! What a shame!”
This cry came from Joe's heart, and went to the hearts of his old companions. Some were so condemned in their consciences that they immediately began to seek the Savior whose loving heart had so long sought them.