A LITTLE GIRL was on a visit to her Christian aunt who sought to tell her about the Saviour who loved her. She asked the little one, “What are the first words of the 23rd Psalm?” Promptly the answer came, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
“Now, these words just answer to your five fingers—try it,” said her aunt. “The"—putting the finger on the thumb of the left hand; next, “Lord"—touching the first finger; “is"—touching the second; “my"—touching the third; “Shepherd"—touching the fourth.
“Now,” asked her aunt kindly, “which of these five words do you like best?” And on her little fingers she went over and over the words till at last she paused; her mind was made up—it was the one that stood for MY.
This is just what faith does. It is taking Jesus as my own Saviour, it is believing that He loved me and gave Himself for me. “He was wounded for our transgressions” (Isa. 53:55But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)), but faith can say “for my transgressions.” Not only, “He gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)), but, “He gave Himself a ransom for me.”
Not long after the little one had gone back to her own home, she was stricken with polio which so affected her speech that she could not make herself understood.
As the end drew near for little one, her mother asked her had she really found peace through faith in the Lord Jesus. The only response was the moving of her right hand and clasping the third finger of her left; thus she passed away. The sorrowing parents could not understand, and wondered what it might mean. Sometime after they told her aunt she had passed away holding the third finger of her left hand.
“O I know what it means,” said her aunt, and she told them about the lesson on the first five words of the 23rd Psalm; then all was plain, and they were comforted in the thought that their little one was with Jesus.
Can you say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me; I have taken Him as my Saviour, and the Lord is MY Shepherd?”
ML-03/05/1972