As I was passing along a beautiful road, my attention was drawn to a singular looking object which was floating irregularly in the air, at the height of perhaps a hundred feet from the earth. Not knowing what it was, I was examining it attentively, when my curiosity was greatly increased by observing a number of small fluttering things falling from that strange object to the ground. What was my further astonishment on seeing sixty or seventy children, who till then had been hidden from my sight by the hedge which separated the road from the meadow in which they were, all eagerly endeavoring to oain possession of one or more of the little papers—for such I found they were. Presently, too, I heard loud exclamations of delight from the children, showing that something of much interest to them was engaging their attention.
Probably my young reader has already guessed what it was which so puzzled me; but for the sake of any who may not have found it out, I will explain it. The strange object which first attracted my attention was a small balloon, and the small flutteng papers which fell from it had short Scripture texts printed upon them, and the children who were so eager to ob tain the papers belonged to a Sunday school, and were enjoying their annual treat in the open air. Thus the mystery is solved.
As I pursued my walk, after having stayed a few minutes to enjoy the sight of the group of delighted children, I thought that what I had just witnessed was a little picture of what God, in His great love to sinners, is constantly doing. He is sending messages of love and mercy from heaven to us all every day. He Himself tells us that He “hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son,” “who is on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb. 1.) And is not the gospel of His grace, which He is again and again presenting to us from His Word, and by His Spirit, truly a message from heaven?
As one of your own hymns says,
“Here’s a message of love
Come down from above,
To invite little children to heaven:
In God’s blessed Book
Poor sinners may look,
And see how all sins are forgiven.”
Now, just as there were a number of pieces of paper with a short text upon each, and they were scattered from the balloon, so God, in His kind considerion for the littleness of our minds, breaks up His Word into small pieces for us, so that even the youngest may be able to learn something of the great love which He has shown in the gift of His dear Son. Let us look at a few of these precious portions, any one of which is enough to save the soul of the one who receives it as in deed and in truth the Word of God. Our first favorite passage is, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not pesh, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Another much like it is,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31). And then there are those well-known words of encouragement, which the Lord Jesus said concerning children,
“Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the Kingdom of God.” Mark 10:1414But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:14). We might continue quoting such precious words by hundreds, but we can only now refer to these few, as specimens of the rest.
You noticed how anxious the Sunday school children whom I saw, were to possess one of those pieces of paper which descended to where they were. Happy, indeed, was the boy or girl who obtained one!
O, how blessed it would be if each child who reads this, was as eager to lay hold of the precious words of God, so that he might know Jesus as his Saviour, and God as his heavenly Father! It seems that this is just what Timothy did, for it is written of him,
May this be your case, dear young reader, as it will if you receive in your heart God’s message of love in the gospel of His dear Son.
ML 12/12/1943