91
March, 1945
“God does answer prayer, John!” Sarah wept. “ Praise the Lord, o u r boy’s alive—present with the Lord!" John tried to talk, but the words piled up. “He wants you to trust the Lord, too, John. He wants you to be raised out of sin, and you will be if you trust JesUs Christ as your own Saviour. Won’t you, John?” Looking into his face, Sarah could see the hard lines soften, as the light of a new answer to prayer began to appear.
see how normally he went about his work. His sense of humor was miss ing, but everybody expected that. However, they did not know t h a t down in his heart, John Crawford was waging a relentless war against God. He felt that Sarah blamed him. for she had said something about things like this eo...iiig «.o i o f the brevity and uncertainty of life, and this angered him all the more. Yet he could not dismiss the sub ject. Conviction of his sins—sins of unbelief and blasphemy—had come to him forcefully during the years. In spite of his philosophy of life, he had no peace in his heart. As usual, when he locked up at noon, he stopped by the post office. He went from habit, knowing full well that there would .be no more let ters from Johnny. “I reckon the governmental b e sendin’ particulars,” he said to the girl. “It’d help Sarah if we knew a mite more. We don’t even know for sure where he was—ain’t heard in nigh onto three weeks.” “Didn’t he say anything in that last letter—the one you got Friday?” “We didn’t get no letter Friday, not from Johnny.” “Yes, you did. I sent it over with Mr. . . . ” “Hey! ’ We ain’t seen any mail! Must’ve got put up! Maybe there’s news!. Maybe Johnny’s all right!” He rushed home. “John!” Sarah met him. "I tried to get you at the store. I just found a letter.” “From Johnny! Let me see it!” , “The telegram said he was dead, John, but the telegram,” she sobbed convulsively, “was wrong! Johnny isn’t dead!” John took the letter. “But this was postmarked a week before the telegram.” “Read It, John. Praise the Lord! You’ll see!” The father skimmed the letter until he came to these words: . . . and Dad, I wish you’d do the same thing. This is a tough old world. A fellow can’t make, the grade by him self. He has to have Somebody to save him from sin and help him. And you know, a fellow can’t really live in this world. The sooner we die, the sooner we can be with Christ—t h e One who died to save us—and t h a t will be really living. “They say we’ve got rough going ahead. M a y b e my number’ll be called. I don’t know. Anyway, if it is and I don’t see you again, thanks, Mom, for praying. And let’s s '1 t in heaven. Lovingly, Johnny.”
“We should' go to church—together,” Sarah said. “If only we had hope.” Until this time John had kept most of his resentment silent. But now he burst forth in fury. “If your prayers couldn’t save Johnny, what use i s there to put stock in religion? There’s no use. It God couldn’t save Johnny from . . . ” “That’s just what I don’t know,” Sarah interrupted. “I wish I could know whether Johnny was saved . . . if . . . Oh, John, I need your help in prayer so much, but . . . " “Don’t carry on, Sarah! What lit tle prayin’ I’d done wouldn’t h a v e counted much alongside yours. Think reasonable, Sarah. I ain’t so wicked as you make out. I’ve treated you right, haven’t I? Take the deacon, old Joe Williams—he fusses his •wife around a sight worse than I ever did you. Ain’t that right?” “Please don’t talk so. It’s Easter— the resurrection—O God, I pray we’ll be together again—our family—at the great resurrection! Johnny’d want us to.” , “Now you know he wasn’t never one to take to religion, Sarah. I reck on you’ve got me to blame for that. Don’t go pinin’ away wondering about the resurrection, an’ . . . ” “I never repeated to you w h a t Johnny told me when he left to go overseas,” Sarah interrupted. “He said,” she fought back the tears, “ ‘Mom, I can’t take the Lord now, but i know I need Him, and I’ll ac cept Him some day. I know it’s the right thing.’ Those were his words, John. I’ll never forget them. I’ve treas ured them in my h e a r t—repeated them over and over in my prayers! I believe Johnny kept that promise before—before he died. But if only I could know for sure.” John was silenced. “He knew he needed the Lord, and you know you need Him, i too. Don’t you, John?” A full minute passed befox'e h e said, “I don’t want no more t a l k about it. It ain’t been proved to me, this religion business. It don’t hold water,” Sarah went-to church alone. It took every ounce of her courage to s i t through the singing of the hymns, but she never had missed an Easter service, and she couldn’t now. T h e Reverend Mr. Jackson saw her, for the church was small, and he wove a little messag£ just for her into h i s sermon. “The glory of Easter,” he said, “will never be fully known until we reach the other shore and see the full measure of Calvary’s harvest.” * * * On Monday John reopened the store. People came in and were surprised to
Your Scrapbook Prayed Wings
The bee flies in defiance of the laws of gravity. According to experts she ought not to be able to fly at all; her wing-area is too small. But she does and, furthermore, is one of the swiftest flyers we know. Her “lungs” permeate her whole body, supplying oxygen to every part, and in the thorax are two huge pipes which can supply un limited oxygen direct to the wing- muscles. So, small as they are, she can move these wings at incredible speed without fatigue. And when the wings become frayed she has only to move them a little faster to fly as quickly as she did before. . . Breathe on me, Breath of God. Be power in me, and life, and love, and fortitude and stedfastness, that I may carry on even with frayed wings, —Amy Carmichael. .If 1. “If” of Salvation (Mk. 9:23). 2. “If” of Christ’s Voice (Rev. 3:20)., 3. "If” of Forgiveness (1 John 1:9). 4. “I f ’ of Fellowship (1 John 1:7). 5. “ If” of Prayer (John 15:7). 6. “If” of Reward (Gal. 6:9). —Harold A. Johanson, Biola ’34. Built by the Plummet Jesus is evermore watching the erec tion of His. spiritual temple, that it may be built securely and well. We are for haste, but Jesus is for judg ment. He will use the plummet, and that which is out of line must come down—every stone of it. Hence the failure of many a flattering work, the overthrow of many a glittering pro fession. It is not for us to judge the Lord’s church, since Jesus has a steady hand, and a true eye, and can use the plummet well.—C. H. Spurgeon.
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