When I was a child, there was a framed Bible verse that hung on my bedroom wall. I learned it well, looking at it night after night. It is a very useful verse to know, and it would be a good idea if you learned it too. It says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)). This story is of a boy who called on the Lord Jesus for help when he was in great trouble.
Jamil was a little shepherd boy in the south of India. Water was very scarce in that area, and Jamil left his faithful ox to guard his flock of goats while he went in search of water. He walked until he came to an old well.
As he leaned over to see if there was any water, the wall gave way, and the poor boy fell into the well. Thankfully for him, a small shrub growing out of the side caught his shirt and stopped him from falling to the bottom. Shocked and bruised, he managed to pull himself up to a ledge while he thought of what to do.
How was he going to get out of there? It was impossible for him to climb out by himself, and he was in a very lonely area. In his fear and anxiety, he remembered that one day when he stopped to hear a gospel preacher in a village, he had heard of someone called Jesus. This Jesus could be called on for help in time of need or danger, and He would answer. Right there in simple faith, Jamil begged the help of Jesus.
After praying, he calmed down, and as time passed, he found himself nodding off to sleep. In this half sleeping state, he felt something touching him, and looking around he saw a rope. It was the rope that hung from the neck of his ox, which was now looking down into the well. The ox apparently had come in search of his young master. Quickly Jamil attached himself to the rope and called to his ox to back up, and so he was able to climb out of the well. Immediately he fell on his knees and thanked Jesus for answering his prayer.
Imagine the joy of that shepherd boy when he learned more about Jesus and came to know the One who had sent the ox to save him. Jamil became a Christian and often told the story of how his life was saved, always giving the glory to the Lord Jesus who hears everyone who calls upon Him. The Bible tells us, “The Lord is [near] unto all them that call upon Him” (Psalm 145:1818The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. (Psalm 145:18)). We can be sure that He heard a lonely shepherd boy in India, and He will hear us wherever we are.
ML-04/05/2009