SHE was sitting up in bed as I approached a patient, who was a complete stranger to me. Lying open on her bed was a New Testament, with which was bound the Book of Psalms.
Instead of formally introducing myself, I took up her book, turned to Psalm 42, and read, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God?” Then, turning to Ps. 43, I went on to read, “For Thou art the God of my strength: why dost Thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy; yea, upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God my God.”
Laying the book down upon the bed, I turned towards her and said, “Do you know your sins forgiven?”
With a look which expressed a most intense inward anxiety, she replied, in a tone of extreme sadness, “That is what I have been wanting to know for years.”
Thus suddenly being brought face to face with one longing for salvation, as grace enabled me I set forth Christ and Him crucified. I showed her from God’s own word that Christ had made full atonement with His own blood for all her sins, and that God in Christ had freely forgiven her all. She listened as one long athirst, as the Spirit gave me utterance. I felt inwardly conscious that the Lord was there and then blessing the word spoken, to her precious soul.
The next Lord’s day, on entering that ward, I made straight for her bed, to find it occupied by another. In my desire to help her Christ-wards I had asked her no questions as to her name, or particular ailment. The effort to meet her soul’s so pressing need had so engrossed me that I could not recollect her features sufficiently to describe to others whom I sought. To the best of my recollection I never saw her but that once. But what a privilege, if only once, of pointing this very anxious one to the Lord Jesus Christ!
I thought possibly she had been moved to another bed; so I crossed over to the other side of the ward, and went and sat down beside one whom I supposed to be the one I was seeking. But no, it was another fresh patient, and she too, thank God, desired salvation. Again it was mine to point a poor lost sinner to Him who came to seek and to save the lost, yet it proved to me no small comfort to see how the Lord had guided me to another anxious one. In her case I had the joy of seeing the precious fruit of the testimony borne Sunday after Sunday. Each week her growth in grace, and in the knowledge of her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was apparent. She desired to thank me for helping her into liberty; I told her the Lord had already given me joy for her sake, and that it was now her privilege to herself thank God for all His exceeding great mercy to her. In her case also, I do not even know her name, or more about her than that I found her out to be an anxious one, seeking salvation, to whom the Lord blessed His own word. Sufficient for me is the precious assurance that the name of the last one spoken of is written in heaven; as I hope the name of the one just spoken to is also.
Beloved reader, have you the joy of knowing that your name is written in heaven, in the Lamb’s Book of Life? None else can enter that holy city, new Jerusalem.
A. J.