I HEARD a little story which gave me a very happy thought of God, and I think the children will understand it very clearly.
A dear little boy in the city had been dressed up nicely, one afternoon, and allowed to go out in the street. While playing there, a company of men in procession, with a band of music, who were going out to shoot at a target, came along, and of course attracted his attention.
As they marched along, he followed them on, on, through one street after another, till they got outside of the rows of houses, into the open commons. Then a flock of geese caught his eye, and away he went after them. Then something else.
And so he wandered on, very naturally, but all the time getting farther away from home.
At last evening came, and his father returned home, only to find, the mother almost broken-hearted, and the whole household alarmed with the thought that the little one was lost.
Some of, you may know something about this. There is no feeling like it to the parent—the terrible fear and uncertainty, the wondering if injury has come to hint, if he will ever be found alive, or found at all. Then all the dearness of the child comes to the heart, and the feeling is that they cannot do without him. O, there is nothing so startling, so dreadful, as the knowledge that one is lost.
And then how everybody in the house is at work at once to find the lost one. The whole house is set to that. All the children at home are forgotten for the time for the sake of this lost one!
And so it is with God and His lost ones. He wants them in His arms. He must have them.
Supper was not of much account that night, you may believe. Who could eat, when the little darling was away, they did not know where—lost!
The father ran to the police station, then inquired along the streets, looking everywhere that he imagined the child might be, ran to the river with a terrible fear in his heart that he might hear some child, had fallen in. It was a time when there was a good deal of excitement about children being kidnaped and this added to the anxiety and anguish.
At last, far along in the evening, came word from the police station, that a little boy had been picked up, and was now at the station two or three miles away. Then the father hastened to it. Every way of going seemed too slow, for he longed to clasp his boy at once to his arms. O, how the heart and arms of both parents just ached to embrace him once more alive!
On reaching the station house he was shown the boy that was there. But what a sight! He was dirty from head to feet. No appearance of nice clean clothes there, nor the sweet looking boy that left home some hours before! The poor little fellow had been crying, and the tears had run down, making channels of white through the dirt on his face, and his fists had been rubbed in his eyes, till you can imagine how he looked!
But he was the right one, the precious child of the man who was seeking him. And did the father care or think of the dirt at all, in any other way than to make him the more tenderly feel for him?
Ah, no! He eagerly ran to him, folding him in his arms, with kisses and tender expressions of love. There were no reproaches then, only expressions of love and joy.
“And then, again, all means of travel were too slow to get the found one home where anxious hearts were to be relieved, and joy fill the place.
Now, will not the little reader understand the whole matter? If you have passed through such a scene, you know the story has not been half told.
God in His Word tells us of sinners being lost, and of His love in going out after them. It is by Christ coming down here and going to the cross for us. And remember that He finds us in our sins, just as this boy was found in his dirt and need. But this does not turn His heart froth us, it only draws it out the more. Do you remember when the father ran to meet his son in Luke 15, whether he drew back’ because he was in rags and ruin? He did not tell him to go and wash and dress himself up clean before he put his arms about him and kissed him.
So, do believe in that great overwhelming love of God to sinners that longs to gather them now, not telling them to do something to make themselves better first. He saves for nothing, and He saves us in our ruin. Believe in Him alone.
ML 03/12/1916