“WHY do you think that God is taking me away from my husband and children "? was the question asked me in a wistful tone by a young married woman who was dying of consumption.
In the earlier stage of her illness she had showed but little anxiety as to where she would spend eternity; but, as she grew worse, she began to realize that she was not right with God, and that death, and "after this, the judgment" were daily drawing nearer.
Then she turned to God, but, like many others, was kept from trusting in Christ as her Savior by the false notion that she must wait for some "inward feelings" to assure her that Christ had died for her, instead of taking God's word for it.
This she owned, when I questioned her as to what was hindering her.
Then, once more, I put before her that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," (1 Tim. 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)); that He had died and shed His blood to atone to God for sin, and that His blood cleanses the believing sinner from all sin, and I urged her to make it her own by believing God's word as to it.
“I determined that I would not go to sleep that night until I knew I was saved," she said afterward, " and, while I was praying to God with all my heart, I saw that Christ had died for sinners, and that He had died for me; and then I roused my husband out of his sleep, and told him I was saved.”
She was now restful and happy as to her future, but her pathetic question, "Why do you think God is taking me away from my husband and children?" showed how much she was feeling the approaching severance of the ties that were so dear to her.
I tried to answer her question by asking her another.
“Mrs. R., if you had lived on in health and strength, do you think you would have ever turned to God and been saved?”
She waited as if weighing it well up, and then said slowly and thoughtfully, "No, I don't think I ever should. No, I don't think I should have ever turned to God.”
Her health and strength, then, would have meant to her a lost eternity.
With this conviction brought home to her, I think she realized the "why" of God's dealings with her, that it was only in love and mercy to her soul that He was taking her away.
F. A.