93
March 1943
“I do,” he declared firmly. “I be lieve—on the Lord—Jesus Christ.” “Oh, that’s wonderful! I have heard it from yoUr own lips. I thank the Lord.” There was a slight sound at the door and I turned to see Graeme Smith, Mrs. Murphy’s grandson, stand ing there. I knew that he was a stu dent in seminary, studying for the ministry. “I have come to see how Dr. Mur phy is,” he whispered. “He is fine,” I assured him jubilant ly. “He has just accepted the Lord Jegus as his Saviour.” ’ Without a word to me, he turned and ran from the room. He came back with his mother. “ Graeme tells me Daddy has ac cepted the Lord,” she cried, joy chok ing her voice. “Oh, I’m so glad. I have prayed so long for him. How wonder ful!” Quietly she slipped in and knelt by his bed. Lqng into the afternoon she read to him from the ^Vord: Psalm 23, John 17, and many other choice passages. He enjoyed it all so much. I kept in the background, my heart singing joyously. On Saturday morning, Dr. Murphy went into a coma and remained in that condition several days. I prayed that he might regain consciousness lorig enough to have a further testi mony for his Saviour before he died. One afternoon he suddenly opened his He reached out and took my hand in ¿iis and said, with great difficulty, “ I want—to know—that you under stand. And I—want you to know— that I understand.” I repeated his words after him to show I understood and he went on, “What—I—believe. . , .” He could say no more. “You want to tell me you are trust ing in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, Doctor?” His- face beamed with joy. “That is it. I’m so—happy. It is—wonderful.. . . ” Mrs. Murphy had come in and was standing by his bed as he finished. Together we watched him slip away from us to meet his Saviour _face to face. The lortg-suffering grace of God had blotted out all thfe past. “Joy shall be in heaven over one sihner that repenteth.” My own heart was full of thank fulness—not only for this soul safe home with .God, but also for a lesson learned. How nearly I had missed this lesson, because I had been tempted to give up too soon! I thought: How important; that I be yielded so com pletely to His will .that my ear may ever be quick for His word to me^ re garding the lost. “Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint riot.” eyes and called to me. “What is it, Doctor?”
A NURSE’S EXPERIENCE [Continued, from Page 87]
patient. Then a thought quieted me. “Perhaps the Lord is speaking in this very event; perhaps I have been wrong in giving up.” Rather reluctantly I took up my Bible. I found I was trembling. It took more courage than I thought I had to approach Dr. Murphy again. But I spoke to him and when he opened his eyes I said, “Dr. Gossard wants me to read the third chapter of John to you.” Suddenly he laughed. He was dying, and yet his laugh was the sarcastic, .taunting laughter of_the unbelieving. I stood in silent prayer, it ■was as though Satan had entered this man •to give him strength to laugh like that. “Does Dr. Gossard believe that?” he asked finally. “Evidently he does, otherwise he wouldn’t want me to read it to you,” I retorted. “Then go ahead,” was the surpris ing answer. I gasped mentally. I could not keep up with him. One moment he ridiculed—the next he was willing to listen. “It is a very long chapter,” I said, seeing how very weak he was. “I’m going to read just one verse of it. If you believe that, you will have ever lasting life; if you refuse it, you will be lost for all eternity.” Slowly, I read John 3:16 until I came to the word “whosoever” and there I paused. “Doctor, this means you, it means me, it means any one without any exception. Do you believe this?” “You have to do a lot to save your self,” he muttered. I wondered whether he was thinking of the good deeds' he had done, for he Was very benevo lent—a man of fine character. I prayed for. the right message and softly quoted: “ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God . . . The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). “You do not have to do one single good deed,” I went on. “You are like a man at sea, drowning. Your strength is all gone. Yqu may be going down for the last time, when some one throws you a life line. This life line, now, is the Lord Jesus Christ. If you will take Him, Doctor, you will be~ saved. He made atonement for your sins. He has made it so easy that even a little child can understand. ‘Whosoever believeth in him . . .’ ” I was saying when the Doctor, feebly emphasizing each word, finished the quotation, “should — riot perish — but have—everlasting life.” I could not believe my ears. “Doc tor, do you belibve?” I asked incredu
This
IS A FAITHFUL SAY ING, AND W O R T H Y OF A L L A C C E P T A TION: THAT CHRIST JESUS C A M E I N T O THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS . . .
I Timothy 1:15
SIGN IFICANCE OF THE NEW S [ Continued from Page 84]
prayer meeting gauged by the number of participants. The strength of the prayer army does not necessarily con form to its size. A famous queen once said that she feared the prayers of one man—John Knox—more than the might of any military force on earth. Sometimes, one man can be mightier in prayer than a million who engage in it half heartedly. We should seek and strive for large numbers in the prayer ranks, but let us not fall into the error of equating prayer power Jn terms of the number of recruits to the prayer bat talion. One thing that has cheapened our twentieth century civilization is the exaltation of quantity over quality. We have been made crowd-conscious and size-conscious. We tend to meas ure the excellence of a city, a build ing, a university, even a church, ac cording to its size. But the biggest store does not always have the best merchandise. The biggest bank is not necessarily the most solvent. The larg est city is not always the finest to live in. It is more important that the prayer army have depth of spirituality than mere nurnerical size. It is not likely to be so large if it does maintain true spiritual depth. It is still true that one man, wholly and completely on God’s side, makes a majority. Under the Lord’s leading, the consecrated handful can become a predominating force. The effectual, fervent prayer of one man 6f mighty faith can change history.
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