Here is a picture of one of the modern streamlined trains which runs through the State of Iowa now, but I would like to tell you about a little girl who saved a trainload of people from a terrible accident many years ago. Her name was Kate, and she lived with her parents in a very humble home near the Des Moines River. Their house was quite close to a railway bridge, and Kate knew all about the trains which crossed there each day. She had often watched them racing along at a high speed carrying hundreds of men and women and boys and girls from place to place.
One day there was a terrible raining and the little creek over which the bridge was built rose higher and higher until it washed away part of the bridge. It was late in the evening and Kate knew that there was an express train which came through in the middle of the night and unless someone gave the warning there would be a wreck and perhaps many lives would be lost. There was no way of telling about the danger except to go to the nearest station. Although it was a very stormy night, she started out all alone and finally reached the station in time to give the warning.
The passengers on the train were so thankful for her courage and bravery which had saved their lives that they collected money and other things to give her.
How this story makes us think of the Lord Jesus, the One who looked down upon us in our terrible danger as we were traveling on to eternal destruction. He left His bright home above and came down to this poor world, going to that awful cross of Calvary to save us. There He bore the judgment which we deserved in order that we might escape it, and be brought to heaven. How thankful we ought to be to Him! The passengers of that express train were willing to give freely to show their gratitude to Kate for her efforts to save them, but God offers salvation to “Whosoever will” without money arid without price. Have you ever thanked Him, dear reader, for what He suffered for sinners on the cross? Can you say “He died for me?”
ML 03/26/1950