MARY’S father had died when she was just a little girl, and now her mother was dying too. What would become of little Mary? Grandfather did not love the Lord and Mother did not like to send her to him. Before she died, Mother asked her little girl to promise to read a chapter from the Bible every day. Mary gladly promised to do so. And when her mother died, Mary went to live with her unsaved Grandpa.
One day Grandpa saw Mary reading her Bible. “Why do you read that Book?” he asked.
“To learn about God,” she answered.
“There is no God,” he thundered.
Mary didn’t know what to say. She thought for a moment, then she cried, “Grandpa, you mustn’t be foolish! See what the Bible says.” Quickly she turned to the verse she had just been reading and read, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
Grandpa tried to forget those words, but in vain. “You are a fool” kept ringing in his ears. Finally he became so unhappy that he broke down and called upon, God to save him. We do not know just exactly what his words were, but we believe they were somewhat like the prayer of the publican: “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
God was merciful to the old man and forgave him all his sins, because Jesus, His beloved Son, died for all. And God, Himself has declared, “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:1313For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13).
Little Mary and her Grandpa spent many happy hours together after that, reading the precious Word of God.
ML-05/03/1964