p. 11 | THE POWER OF THE WORD

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 4, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 43.

THE POWER OF THE WORD.

A PASTOR relates the following instructive incident: A Christian lady lay upon her deathbed. Her husband was already dead, and reflecting that her little daughter would soon be handed over to the charge of her grandfather, who was an infidel, she was filled with anxiety at the prospect, and calling the child to her side, she obtained from her a promise that for her sake she would read one chapter of the Bible to herself every day. The child soon after was removed to the house of the infidel, and, faithful to her promise, was found by him one day reading to herself in the garden. Inquiring to know what book it was, she replied it was her Bible. He at once began to make light of it, declared that it was useless to read such a book, and asked what was the good of it. She answered that she might learn of God. "God," he said; "there is no God."

The effect of this upon the child can scarcely be described, so great was her fright and amazement. For the moment she appeared petrified, but, recovering herself, exclaimed with passionate earnestness, "O grandfather, you're a fool, you're a fool!" The man was amazed at this extraordinary audacity on the part of his grandchild; but the child continued to exclaim: "O grandfather, you're a fool! The Bible says you are a fool. 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.'" Psalm 14:1. The man listened no longer, but to forget it was quite impossible. Wherever he went, by night and by day, every waking moment, seemed to come into his mind, "You're a fool. The Bible says so." The result was he became miserably unhappy and broken down before God, and the Lord graciously used the circumstances to his conversion.—Anon.