AN EASTER ABOVE THE CLOUDS T HE Man in the Brown Suit looked very worried as he stood with the By Theresa Gustafson
gathering crowd at midnight in the wait ing room of the airport. As the time for plane departure drew near, he checked his watch with the clock on the wall, got up and paced the floor. Little fair-haired Linda, her hand clasped firmly by her father’s as they stood nearby, looked up into the stranger’s face with sympathy. He seemed so anx iously eager to be getting some place as he nervously clutched his briefcase. Then came the loudspeaker, “ Flight for New York. All aboard!” The gates opened to admit the expectant throng to the huge silver ship. The Man in the Brown Suit hurried in and took a seat by the window. He seemed to be hoping he might the sooner catch'a glimpse of his destination. Linda and her father followed and soon were nicely settled. But at once Linda looked around for the.troubled stranger. She spied him right across the aisle. “ Dad dy,” she whispered, “Did you see that man who looked so worried and was in such a hurry?” “ Yes, dear, I did. Something must be wrong.” “Maybe you can help him, Daddy.” “ I’ll try, honey. I’ll talk to him when I get a chance.” Soon they were aloft, roaring through the sky, to Linda’s excited joy. The surrounding scenery dropped away, and soon the panorama became a patchwork of clusters of houses, tiny farms, and ribbons of rivers. Linda, who had been visiting her grandmother on the coast while her father attended a business convention, thought this flight the best part of her trip. It was just like a bird, flying up in the air. She watched as the
Illustrated by Raymond Gage
stranger the ever-wonderful story of Jesus, of His death for every man, of His glorious resurrection, of His power to hear and answer prayer. As he talked very quietly, he prayed in his heart that the man might understand. He quoted verse after verse from the Word of God, then asked, “This Saviour, with all He has for this life and for eternity, can be yours if you will believe and receive Him. Will, you take Him?” The Man in the Brown Suit sat with bowed head. Then he answered, “ I’ve wanted to be sure about these things for a long time. I never knew much about prayer or church. But it is beginning to be plain to me now. Yes, I will.”
stars came out. Then the twinkling lights below were swept away by a big cloud, and it was really dark. Drowsily murmuring another word to her father about the stranger, she snuggled down for a nap. Mr. Reese, after tucking a blanket about his little daughter, made his way across the aisle of the dimly-lighted coach, and sat down beside the Man in the Brown Suit. Before he could say a word, the man burst out, “It’s my boy— he’s three—the doctor doesn’t think he’ll hold out till morning . . . He came down suddenly with high fever . . . I just can’t take it . . .” his voice broke. Mr. Reese touched his shoulder gently.
In that strange setting of the semi- darkened plane, with passengers nap ping or soundly sleeping all about them, Mr. Reese helped the stranger to formu late a prayer in which he asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into his heart and take over his life. Then Mr. Reese asked God to spare the life of the little son if it were His will. A happy smile from a peace-filled heart spread over the man’s face as Mr. Reese slipped a Testament into his coat pocket. Then together they looked out of the window, and suddenly the sky was ablaze with the light of the rising sun.
“That’s really tough, my brother. These are the times when we need Someone who can really help.” The man turned troubled eyes to Linda’s father, and wearily passed his hand over his forehead. “ Oh, my wife has called the best medical help she can get . . . but there isn’t much hope.” “I meant God’s help, my friend,” said Mr. Reese earnestly. The Man in the Brown Suit answered hesitatingly, “ I don’t know much about Him, Sir. Is there something He could do for us?” “ Oh, yes, everything, if you will let Him,” replied Linda’s father. Then with an inner eagerness he unfolded to the
By Martha S. Hooker
APRI L, 1 9 5 2
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