by Dr.
Walter L. Wilson
The train had just entered the boundary limits of a great city, when the porter aroused me from my deep sleep and informed me that we would soon be in the depot. There was no time for reading the Word, nor for a season of prayer, for the train had come to a stop by the time I was fully dressed and all the passengers were leaving.
Because I intended spending only a day
in that city, I checked my baggage at the station, took my sample case and went
at once to the office of my customer.
At four o'clock, after completing our business transactions together, I
left him and started back to the station.
Because I had been deprived of my morning period of meditation, this lack
of spiritual food and preparation caused me to feel not only heavy of heart,
but disappointment filled my soul as I walked down the street.
A large hotel was located on that
street. Entering, I went up to the mezzanine floor where I sought to be alone
with the Lord. I confessed to Him my
failure that day, my neglect of prayer, and also my omission to read the
Scriptures. I then asked Him whether in
His infinite grace He would not find some way to give a message through my lips
to some troubled heart in that strange city.
Having waited on the Lord a while, I felt convinced that He would find
some work to do through me that evening.
About 5:30, while sitting in the coffee
shop, the Lord reminded me that there abode in that city the son of a friend of
mine who lived out West. I knew that
this son was not saved, and at once accepted it as from the Lord that I should
visit this young man and give him the Gospel.
Obtaining a telephone book, I soon found his address and decided to call
at his home. Arriving there, I found a
duplex building with his name on a plate by the door leading upstairs. I rang the bell which opened the door,
permitting me to enter the hall. At the top of the stairs stood a young woman
who inquired what I wanted. I was not
surprised to see a young woman, for I had been told that my young friend had
recently been married.
"Is this where Charlie Johnson
lives?" I asked. “I am a friend of his and came to visit
him."
"Yes, come right up,"
she invited, very courteously.
As I reached the top of the stairs, she
escorted me into a very attractive living room, nicely furnished, but dimly
lighted. On the opposite side of the
room, stood a lady and a gentleman whom she introduced to me as the sister and
brother-in-law of Mr. Johnson. Taking
my overcoat and hat, I was invited to be seated, whereupon I inquired whether
or not Charlie was at home.
My heart was impressed with the opportunity presented of giving the Gospel, and I was much in prayer that the Holy Spirit would give the right words and would guide in the conversation. In reply to my inquiry, Mrs. Johnson said: “I am sorry, but Charlie is not home; he is working nights now."
"How splendid that is,"
I said. "His business must have
increased greatly since he has found it necessary to put on both a day and a
night shift."
She looked quite surprised upon hearing
this, and said, "Charlie is not in business; he is an engineer and just
now is working on a night shift at the city water-works."
"Is not his father a merchant
in Loganville?" I asked.
"Why no," she said,
"his father is a carpenter and lives in Jackson. I married him there."
A look of astonishment came over all
our faces, for it was quite evident that I was in the wrong house. "I
cannot understand this," I said, "for Charlie's father told me
that he was engaged in manufacturing small motors for washing machines, and
that he was doing quite well at the business.
It is evident that I doubtless secured the wrong address of my friend,
and I shall leave. I trust you will
pardon me for intruding, and I am sorry if your evening's visit has been
interrupted by my coming."
Mrs. Johnson smiled, while all three of
them arose to tell me good-bye. "I
believe I know what your trouble is, doctor," she said. "There
is another Charlie Johnson who lives at this same number and on this same
street, but he lives on the east side of town and we are on the west side. His home is just forty blocks straight east
of us on this very street. I know that
his father lives in Logansville, for we get his mail frequently and I have
noticed the post-mark on the envelope."
This peculiar coincidence caused my
heart to cry out to God, for I felt that this visit was planned by the
Lord. Many thoughts were going through
my mind while putting on the overcoat.
Approaching the center of the room to bid good-bye to the sister and her
husband, I observed, lying on the center table, a well-worn Bible with
dog-eared corners. I knew that dog-ears
on books could not be purchased at the bookstore. These come only by long and frequent usage. Picking up the Bible, carefully and
prayerfully, I inquired: "Do you read this book, Mrs. Johnson, and do
you love it?" At once all
three of them became deeply interested.
They looked at each other with astonishment, and then at me, as though
their minds were stirred to ask some important question. "Yes," she answered quickly
and firmly. "We love that Book in this home."
"Have you found out from its
pages how you may be saved and know it?" I inquired.
By this time the hearts of these
friends were so stirred that they could not restrain the tears. They looked at each other in such a peculiar
way that I sensed immediately that some strange thing was transpiring with
which I was not familiar. After she
regained control of her feelings, Mrs. Johnson asked, "Do you
understand that Bible? Can you tell us
how we may be saved?"
"Yes, indeed, that is my
principal business in life," I assured her. "I would be so glad if I could help you with it."
She urged me to remove my overcoat
again and to be seated. We now drew up
our chairs near the table, were comfortably seated, when Mrs. Johnson said,
"Dr. Wilson, when you rang the door-bell, we three were on our knees
praying that God would send someone to show us the way of salvation. We have been meeting here every Friday night
to pray for help. All summer long we
have gone to services here and there, and have heard some wonderful messages. Somehow none of these sermons have helped
us. What we want to know is how to get
rid of our sins and to obtain eternal life.
We know that Jesus does it, but how does He do it? Can you answer this question?"
It was not difficult to see that the
blessed Lord of the harvest had answered my prayer, and led me to the very
place where the Lord Jesus was working and wanted to enter in. Each one obtained a Bible, while I took mine
from my pocket, and we all turned to Luke 19:10. There we found the statement of the Lord Jesus, saying, "The
Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
"It is you three that He came
to save," I continued.
"Your heart should be very glad
indeed to know that God saw your need and provided for you a Saviour who is
both able and willing to save. Will you
let Him save you tonight?"
Their faces now were aglow with
anticipation. They were drinking in
every word, and reading the message for themselves out of their own
Bibles. Mrs. Johnson then asked: "But how does He save anyone,
doctor? That is exactly what we want to
know."
Turning to I Peter 3:18, we read
aloud: "Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." "By suffering for you," I
explained to them, "He took the punishment for your sin, He took the
whipping you should have had. God made Him suffer for your sins, that you might
trust Him with the saving of your soul, and enjoy God's favor and forgiveness."
We then turned to I Peter 2:24, and
read: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree." "He bore them for you three friends,"
I said. "It was your own sins
which God laid upon Him and took off of you. God now invites you to accept the
Lord Jesus as His gift to you. He is at God's right hand, able to save, and
will save you now, if you will trust Him with your soul."
Hesitating here in the conversation, I
perceived that these three friends, while observing each other, were apparently
meditating as though permitting the Word of God to bring light to their hearts.
Presently Mrs. Johnson arose, and said, slowly and deliberately, "We
want to take Christ and are ready to accept Him right now; we have just been
waiting through these long months for someone to tell us how we could come to
Him and how He would save us."
"Let us kneel together then,"
I suggested, "and tell Him so." We knelt around the table and each one of them spoke personally
to Christ, thanking Him for dying for them and bearing their sins away. They
spoke to God and thanked Him for sending Jesus to save them from their
sins. What a precious sight it was that
night to see these three turn to Christ and find in Him all that their hungry
souls longed for!
After we arose, I told them the interesting story of my experience that day; how I had looked to the Spirit of God to plan the evening for His glory. How I had given to Him again my lips and my feet that He might through the use of them find some troubled hearts. We thanked the Lord together for the wrong address where I found the right persons ready to receive the redeeming grace of God.
What a joy it is to the
Christian worker when the discovery is made that the Spirit is ready and
willing to direct us to that home or that heart where He is working and where
He wants us to deliver His message. Let
us learn to expect and rely upon His guidance in our daily lives. ˘
This article is one of the
stories in Dr. Walter L. Wilson’s book: Miracles in a Doctor’s Life, The
Moody Press (out of print).
Dr.
Walter L. Wilson (1881-1969) lived primarily in Kansas City, MO as a medical
doctor, natural scientist, salesman, businessman, author, pastor, school
administrator, etc. Led to a saving
knowledge of Christ at the age of 15 through the ministry of a Plymouth
Brethren tent meeting, Dr. Wilson's master passion in life was presenting the
Gospel of grace to precious souls for whom Christ died.