Four boys opened their Bibles at 2 Kings 22, and commenced to read.
At the end of the first verse the Christian governess quietly says,
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he served the Lord. I wonder when you boys will begin to serve Him?” One of them formed a resolution.
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to serve the Lord. I am not eight yet, only seven-and-a-half; when I am eight, I, too, will begin to serve the Lord.”
Now, who put into his heart the determination to delay this great decision? God says “Today,” but the devil says “Tomorrow.”
Four-and-a-half years pass away. Two of the boys are in the garden. They are twin brothers, and one of them has just returned from a place where services were held in connection with children. A new joy has come into his life, for he had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ; now he desires that his brother may know the same Saviour. He turns to him, and shyly says,
“When I was at those meetings, Tom, I took the Lord Jesus as my Saviour. Won’t you do so too?”
But the boy who, four years ago, made up his mind that when he was eight years of age he would come to the Saviour, now got angry, and said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
But his brother spoke of the happiness that now was his, and pleaded with him to come to Christ.
A few weeks passed, and this boy, with his heart still unchanged, was himself journeying for a holiday to the same place where his brother had been converted.
A lady was in the train in which he was traveling. She gave him a little book, am talked to him lovingly. After a while she plainly put the question,
“Have you come to Jesus?”
The boy turned his face to the window, and made no answer.
He reached the house of his grandfather, where lived a Christian aunt, He determined that he would not allow himself to be alone with her, so greatly afraid was he that she would ask him the questions he so little wanted to hear. He knew that God was calling him, but he did net wish to come. He wanted to go his own, way, and not to be bothered about these things.
One evening he wandered about the house, and at last into the dining-room, where his aunt sat at her work; and, sure enough, before long she looked up, and said,
“When your brother was here Iasi month he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was so happy, and seemed to enjoy the services more than anything else. You do not seem very happy. When are you going to—?”
The boy would hear no more, rushed to his bedroom, and threw himself upon the bed.
Why won’t these people let me alone?” he said. A fierce struggle followed. To the bitter cry,
“Why won’t they let me alone?” echo seemed to answer, “Why not cease fighting against your conviction? Why not come to Jesus now, and be made glad?”
Long into the night the fight went on. “Why not” seemed to get more loud and clear, and every excuse suggested by the devil was more and more unsatisfactory.
“Why not come to the Lord Jesus? Why not? WHY NOT? WHY NOT?”
About midnight he got out of bed and kneeled at the bedside. The tears streamed down his cheeks, and there and then he yielded, and just simply told the Lord Jesus that he would come to Him now. Only a boy of twelve years, and there was no one to see, and no one to hear— no onw, but Jesus.
Christ spoke peace to the young heart, and gave the assurance that his sins were forgiven. The earlier part of the night was spent in anguish of soul—struggling against God; the latter part was spent in joy and gladness. The long siege was over, the Lord Jesus had taken possession of Tom, and Tom began to live for Him.
ML 07/19/1942