ALICE was a young girl, about fourteen years of age. Her parents were very rich, and she was their only child. One day Alice was taken sick, and when the doctor came and examined her case, he said the disease was incurable, and that she had but a short time to live. Then she became anxious about her soul. Her parents were not Christians, and had lived with little thought of God or the needs of their souls.
"Father," she said one day, "the doctor says I have not long to live. When I die, where shall I go?" But her father could not answer the question.
Turning to her mother, Alice asked, "Mother dear, can you not tell me what I must do to get to heaven?" But her mother had nothing to say.
"Father," she exclaimed again, "is there no one who can tell me what I must do to be saved?"
"My child," said her father, "you have always been a good girl — a dutiful daughter. You have never grieved your parents. You have regularly attended church, and taken part in the services. Don't you think that is all you need?"
"Oh! no, my dear father. That will not do. I cannot rest my soul there. That is not the way to heaven. Oh, I am going to die. I know not what will become of me. Can no one show me the way to heaven?"
It so happened that Alice had a young girl to wait on her, and she was an earnest Christian. She asked permission to go and bring a preacher to answer these great questions. The preacher soon came, and sat down by the bedside of the dying girl. She raised herself on her elbow, and looking earnestly at him, said,
"Sir, can you tell me what I must do to find rest for my soul, and to die at peace with God?"
"No, my friend," he replied. "I cannot tell what you can do, but I can tell you, what has been done for you." And then he told her about the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus. "He did all this," said he, "to obtain pardon and salvation for poor sinners, such as we are. And now, this one short verse shows us the way to heaven — "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
"Yes, I believe that Jesus died for sinners," said Alice, "but how can I be sure that He died for me?"
"You may be sure of that, my young friend," he returned, "from what he said Himself, when He was on earth. These are His own sweet words. Listen to them: 'God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever' — this takes in you, and me, and everybody — 'that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' "
"I see it now, sir; thank you, thank you, a thousand times!" said Alice. "And now, sir, won't you please kneel down and pray that my sins may be forgiven, and that my soul may be saved for Jesus' sake?"
He kneeled down with all the family, and offered an earnest prayer in her behalf.
When the prayer was ended, she said, "Now, I feel perfectly willing to die, whenever my time shall come." Not many days after, her time did come. In perfect peace and happiness she went home to be with Jesus.
Messages of the Love of God 12/7/1958