Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
- Matthew 19:14-15
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
- John 20:26-29
“Before I played, Tante Jans made me sing. The song I sang was about the lost sheep which was found by the shepherd. I sang it slowly and dramatically, climaxing it with the last line:
“And the sheep that went astray was me.”
“As I finished singing a big, blond Dutch officer reached out and pulled me to him. Picking me up and sitting me on his knee, he laughed and said, ‘Tell me, young lady, how did you go astray?’
“All the other soldiers laughed, and I was red with embarrassment. It did seem odd that such a little girl would describe herself as a lost sheep.
“I had to confess that the line just belonged to the song and that I had never, never been a lost sheep. Then I told him that as a little girl, just five years of age, I had given my heart to Jesus Christ and could never remember not having belonged to Him.
“The officer grew very serious and his eyes filled with tears. ‘Ah, that is the way it should be, little Sweet-Face,’ he said solemnly. ‘How much better to come to Jesus as a little child, than to have to stumble, as I have, always seeking the shepherd.’
“Then he closed his eyes and said softly, ‘But tonight I think I shall stop seeking, and let Him find me instead.’
“That night there was deep joy in the Bible meeting. The Lord had used me to lead a man to Christ. It was the first time in my life, and it had taken place not because of what I said, but because of the Holy Spirit who was in me. It was a secret I have remembered all the years of my life as ‘I have traveled the world—a tramp for the Lord.”
- Corrie ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord
Corrie ten Boom was eleven years old. She was visiting Tante Jans, who had set up a club for the Dutch military to come and rest, relax, and have a little Bible study. Tante Jans had taught Corrie and her sister how to play the harmonium, an old pump organ. But before entertaining the soldiers, she sang a song.
She simply told a simple statement that the Holy Spirit used to lead a man possibly three times her age to Christ.
It is that simple and it is that hard.
But she saw God at work at the age of eleven, and before, but this was the first time God had worked through her. Once you see God’s power in action, you are more likely to follow and be bold. As Jesus told Thomas. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed. There are many ways to see God, but for too many, their eyes are blinded to the truth.
But it is not up to us whether the other person is blinded. We can simply pray and move on, not so simple when we know that person and they are dear to us.
This story took me back to a memory that I have buried deeply. My brother was at Louisville Seminary and he got a summer job preaching at a very historic church north of Oxford, MS. It was a small country church, but the church had been around for a long time. They moved the harmonium to the manse when they got a new church organ. My brother asked me if I wanted to play it. I looked at it, having played a Hammond organ before, just a little bit. I asked three questions. Where do you turn it on? Where were the foot pedals? And why were there two volume pedals?
He laughed. This was a harmonium, not an electric organ. You had to use the two foot pedals, not volume pedals, to maintain enough air to make the organ sing. My mother, who played the organ and piano at our church at the time refused to touch it. She knew it would be a lot of work. I was young and was willing to try. I played a couple of tunes that I knew without looking at the sheet music. But then, even young and robust, I was exhausted. The two foot pedals provided a double bellows to have continuous music being played, but if you ever slowed down, the music got softer until no one could hear it. Of course, my parents and grandparents would yell to pump faster. A couple of years later, I ran the mile for track and field. That was a lot easier.
This is the last chapter in Corrie ten Boom’s book. She ends with the book title. She ended the book with the story of the first person who accepted Jesus in her presence. There were so many others along the way. But the key things in her life was that she became a willing servant of the Lord, and she trusted Him. She gave Him all the praise. After all, she was just an old Dutch woman.
Lord, strengthen me. Help me to be bold. Give me the right words to say. Use me for Your glory. And may I never tire of telling others of Your Love. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Author’s Note: I am thinking of using Hope by Dr. David Jeremiah as my next mini-series on Sunday afternoon.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
Leave a comment