THE OLD JUDGE CONVERTED
I remember, as I was
coming out of the daily prayer meeting in one of our American cities a few years
ago, a lady said she wished to speak to me; her voice trembled with emotion,
and I saw at once that she was heavily burdened by something or other. She said
she had long been praying for her husband, and she wanted to know if I would
go to see him; she thought it might do him some good. What is his name? "Judge
- ," and she mentioned one of the most eminent politicians in the State. "I
have heard of him," I said; "I am afraid I need not go, he is a booked infidel;
I cannot argue with him." "That is not what he wants," said the lady. "He has
had too much argument already. Go and speak to him about his soul." I said I
would, although I was not very hopeful. I went to his house, was admitted to
his room, and introduced myself as having come to speak to him about salvation.
"Then you have come on a very foolish errand," said he; "there's no use in attacking
me, I tell you that. I am proof against all these things, I don't believe in
them." Well, I saw it was no use arguing with him; so I said, "I'll pray for
you, and I want you to promise me that when you are converted you'll let me
know." "Oh, yes, I'll let you know," he said in a tone of sarcasm. "Oh, yes,
I'll let you know when I'm converted!" I left him, but I continued to pray for
him. Some time subsequently I heard that the old judge was converted. I was
again preaching in that city a while after that, and when I had done talking
the judge himself came to me, and said: "I promised I'd let you know when I
was converted; I have come to tell you of it. Have you not heard of it?" "Yes;
but I would like to hear from you how it happened." "Well," said the judge,
"one night, some time after you called on me, my wife had gone to the meeting;
there was no one in the house but the servants. I sat by the drawing-room fire,
and I began to think: Suppose my wife is right, that there is a heaven and a
hell; and suppose she is on the right way to heaven, where am I going? I just
dismissed the thought. But a second thought came: Surely He who created me is
able to teach me. Yes, I thought, that is so. Then why not ask Him? I struggled
against it, but at last, though I was too proud to get down on my knees, I just
said, 'Father, all is dark; Thou who created me canst teach me.' "Somehow, the
more I prayed the worse I felt. I was very sad. I did not wish my wife to come
home and find me thus, so I slipped away to bed, and when she came into the
room I pretended to be asleep. She got down on her knees and prayed. I knew
she was praying for me, and that for many long years she had been doing so.
I felt as if I could have jumped up and knelt beside her; but no, my proud heart
would not let me, so I lay still, pretending to be asleep. But I didn't sleep
that night. I soon changed my prayer; it was now, 'O God, save me; take away
this terrible burden.' "I didn't believe in Christ even yet. I thought I'd go
right straight to the Father Himself. But the more I prayed I only became the
more miserable; my burden grew heavier. The next morning I did not wish to see
my wife, so I said 'I was not well, and wouldn't wait for breakfast.' I went
to the office, and when the boy came I sent him home for a holiday. When the
clerks came I told them they might go for the day. I closed the office doors:
I wanted to be alone with God. I was almost frantic in my agony of heart. I
cried to God to take away this load of sin. At last I fell on my knees, and
cried, 'For Jesus Christ's sake take away this load of sin.' At length I went
to my wife's pastor, who had been praying with her for my conversion for years,
and the same minister who had prayed with my mother before she died. As I walked
down the street the verse that my mother had taught me came into my mind, 'Whatsoever
things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them.' Well, I thought, I have asked God, and here I am going to ask a man.
I won't go.
I believe I am a Christian.
I turned and went home. I met my wife in the hall as I entered. I caught her
hand, and said, 'I am a Christian now.' She turned quite pale; she had been
praying for twenty-one years for me, and yet she could not believe the answer
had come. We went into our room, and knelt down by the very bedside where she
had so often knelt to pray for her husband. There we erected our family altar;
and for the first time our voices mingled in prayer. And I can only say that
the last three months have been the happiest months ever I spent in my life."
Since then that judge has lived a consistent Christian life; and all because
he came to God, asking for guidance.
If there is one here
today whose mind is filled with such infidel thoughts, go honestly to God, and
He will teach you the right way through the dark wilderness of infidelity. He
won't leave you in darkness or doubt. It is the devil's own work to lead men
into such doubts; well he knows if he once gets them there he has them pretty
safe.
It is Satan's work to
keep you in ignorance or doubt. It is God's work to teach you. The teacher is
Christ; He is appointed by God for this work.
God help us all to accept
Him as our teacher. 8. Now we have seen Christ as our Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer,
Leader, Light, and Teacher. But He is still more; He is also OUR SHEPHERD.
A very sweet thought
it is to me, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." There is not one here,
except the very babes, who does not understand the work of a shepherd. He watches
over his flock, protects them from danger, feeds them, leads them into the best
pastures. In fact, the 23rd Psalm is just a statement of the duties of a good
shepherd: "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want," etc.
You want to be fed;
are you going to wander about seeking something to satisfy the cravings of your
soul? Then, I tell you, you never will find anything to satisfy the longings
of your heart. The world cannot, and never could, satisfy a hungry soul. The
Lord Jesus can - He is the true Shepherd. He is seeking to restore your soul,
to lead you back to the paths of righteousness. Even to death will He lead you,
and safely through its shadow guide you to a better land. Mother, father, will
you claim Him as your Shepherd? Young man, young woman, will you have Him as
your Shepherd? My little child, will you have Jesus as your Shepherd? He will
lead safely and softly.
You can, all of you,
if you will. For "God gave Him up freely for us all," that He might have us
for His flock. He will lead us through life, down to the banks of the Jordan;
He will lead us across the dark river into His kingdom. He is a tender, loving
Shepherd.
I sometimes meet people
in the anxious inquiry-room who are nourishing hard, bitter feelings against
God, generally because they have been afflicted. A mother said to me the other
day, "Ah, Mr. Moody, God has been unjust to me; He has come and taken away my
child." Dear afflicted mothers, has God not removed your children to a pure
and happy life? You may not understand it now, but you will by and by. He wants
to lead you up there.Dwight Moody
No comments:
Post a Comment