Chrissy awoke from her bad dream crying out in fear. Her mother jumped out of bed and ran to Chrissy’s room in a panic. She could not imagine what terrible thing had happened to Chrissy. In all of her six years, Chrissy had never had such an outburst!
But even comforting her in her room there were still long moments before her mother could find out the reason. Then frantically, between sobs, the story came out, “Daddy and the man across the street were bitten by a mosquito and they are going to die.” To Chrissy, the dream was still so real it seemed completely true.
Chrissy’s, mother tried for more than a half an hour to explain to Chrissy that most mosquito bites just leave a little read mark and an itch that soon goes away. But this did not calm Chrissy. Her daddy and the man across the street were bitten by a mosquito, and they were going to die!
It was heft that her mother remembered that Chrissy had overheard the two men talking. The neighbor had heard a news report that said a mosquito carrying a fatal disease was making its way to other countries from South America. Finally, when Chrissy’s sobbing did not stop, her daddy (alive and well) suggested that they go in the kitchen and have some hot chocolate, which Chrissy loved. He hoped this would get her mind off her dream. But even this idea failed. Daddy finally went back to bed since only one pair of comforting arms could hold Chrissy at a time.
Then suddenly a man’s voice spoke out from the darkness. It was not Daddy’s voice—he had gone back to bed—and no other man lived in their house! Yet the reassuring voice very clearly was saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Somehow neither Chrissy nor her mother was frightened. They knew it was God speaking, to settle a matter that was too big for them. The Lord Jesus wanted them to know that only faith in His power can save us from our fears, as well as from our sins. Chrissy already knew that her sins were all forgiven. She had accepted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour when she was only three—the day her mother explained to her why the Lord Jesus had had to die on the cross. Chrissy understood that Christ Jesus “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree [cross].” 1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24). She simply believed it and knew she was saved—her sins were gone.
Satan’s sin-bite is a great deal worse than any mosquito bite. If we are not cured of it before we die, we will also go to that place called hell. By just believing God’s Word, we may say, “Christ died for [MY] sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:33For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (1 Corinthians 15:3)), and, “Now I am going to heaven.”
Perhaps you are wondering about the man’s voice in the darkness. It was coming from a radio. God had used that man to bring His message to Chrissy.
God has another lesson He wants us to learn from Chrissy’s experience. Do you suppose the man had any idea that his words would be used by God that night to calm the fearful heart of a little Christian? Let’s remember that every word spoken for Christ may be used in far greater ways than we can imagine. That man never dreamed that thousands of people like you and me would be reading a story, almost 15 years later, about just one result of those 11 words of life which he spoke that night. And he still knows nothing about it! Doesn’t this encourage us to tell others what God’s Word says? Isaiah 55:1111So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) tells us, “My Word . . . shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God’s Word is seed that grows and drops many more seeds. The wind of God’s Spirit blows some of these seeds into far distant places and even far distant years. Like that man, in heaven we will enjoy many surprises of how the Lord multiplied His Word, spoken through us. These will add to our praises: “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Revelation 1:55And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5). Have you been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus? He will wash away your sins by simple faith in His work on Calvary’s cross, and soon He will “wipe away all tears from [your] eyes.” Revelation 21:44And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:4). Can you find another friend like this?
ML 09/02/1990