Dear Mrs. Eads was growing old. Now past seventy, she felt she must use all diligence in seeking souls in need of God's salvation. While attending a series of evangelistic meetings being held in a small town, she always sat in a certain seat on one side of the hall.
A happy party of Christian relatives always surrounded her; but one evening the thought came to her that, though enjoying the pleasure of being among her friends, she might be losing an opportunity of speaking to someone who as yet knew not Christ as Savior.
With this thought in mind she felt impelled to move across to a seat on the other side. Her friends remonstrated with her, saying that she would feel a draft and would not hear so well. Mrs. Eads remained firm in the belief that she must sit in that particular seat.
Soon two young ladies, evidently sisters, seated themselves beside her. During the service she observed that one of them was deeply touched. At the closing prayer the younger of the two could not restrain her tears. She laid her head upon the shoulder of her sister, and wept bitterly.
After the meeting was ended Mrs. Eads spoke to her. She soon discovered that she had lived only for the world in the fullest sense. She had utterly refused to receive Christ, or even to think of the future. She had been brought up in a Christian home but had turned her back upon all early teaching. Now the poor girl believed it was too late to turn back. She thought she had committed the "unpardonable sin," for which there is no forgiveness.
Nothing Mrs. Eads could say that night seemed to reach her in her state of despair. The dear old saint of God returned to her hotel, sad at heart, to spend part of the night crying to the Lord for a message from Him. She longed to show this aching heart that God was still beseeching her to be reconciled to Him.
So sure was Mrs. Eads that God Himself had drawn the poor young sinner to the gospel service, and had thus distinctly thrown her across her path, that she could not doubt it would end in blessing. However she longed to give His message aright.
She resolved to go immediately and take that verse to the anxious soul. But ere she could finish breakfast, the sister of the one in whom she was interested came to tell her that her sister had been in such terrible anguish all night that she was now ill. She had asked her to go at once to find the lady who had spoken to her at the meeting. Her heart filled with thanksgiving, Mrs. Eads wrote down the God-given verse on a piece of paper, and went at once to the home of the poor sufferer.
On entering the room, she walked straight to the bedside and said: "God has given me a message for you. This is it: 'I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.'”
"How wonderful," was the reply. "Those very words sounded in my ears as I awoke a few minutes ago. I was just waiting for you to tell me if they were to be found in the Bible and where.”
Yes, God's "everlasting love" drew her into the haven of repose at last; and in the knowledge of that love she lives today in happy anticipation of the time when she will see Him who so loved her and gave HIMSELF for her.
"O God, what cords of love are Thine;
How gentle yet how strong;
Thy truth and grace their strength combine,
To draw our souls along.”