God’s Free Grace Glorified (8)

Mina prays for a long time. At last one sees only her lips moving; the words can no longer be understood. After praying for a long time she again opens her eyes. She has a cheerful look on her face.

“Dear Mina,” asks her girlfriend, “how is it with you now?”

“It is good,” says Mina. “You are now free to speak of the praise of the Lord. My soul is saved.” More she cannot say. She is completely worn out. She lies there with her eyes closed, and her breathing is fast and irregular.

When she becomes somewhat quieter, her friend asks her, “Did I hear that correctly? Is your soul saved?”

With a weak voice she answers, “Yes, you may freely speak of the praise and glory of the Lord. My soul is saved.”

The young girl is unable to speak more. Her voice becomes weaker and weaker. She grasps the hand of her friend and says, “Here we must part from one another, but in heaven we will be eternally reunited, never again to be separated from each other.”

She stops speaking again. She is very tired; only her lips are still moving.

The ones surrounding her bed are deeply moved when they see her lying there. Her death will not be far away anymore.

Suddenly, she opens her eyes. She sees that her loved ones are crying. With a weak but calm voice she says:

The Lord I will at all times bless,

In praise my mouth employ;

My soul shall in Jehovah boast,

The meek shall hear with joy.

O magnify the Lord with me,

Let us exalt His Name;

When in distress on Him I called,

He to my rescue came.

When she comes to the second line, she lays her right hand upon her heart. She wants in this way to express the power of her faith.

Her mother now asks her, “Dear Mina, do you have such peace in your soul that in all of your circumstances you may rest upon the Lord? Is it just like it is in the psalm? May you feel the peace in this way?”

Mina lays her hand upon her heart. “Oh yes! If you only knew how much love I feel for the dear Lord Jesus in my heart. Oh, if only I could share it with you! If only I could find words for it…”

She cannot speak any more. She is exhausted.

Mina’s friend has taken a feather which she has dipped in water. She passes the wet feather over the parched lips of her girlfriend.

With a soft motion, Mina pushes the hand with the feather away. She then begins to pray: “Oh, Thy wonderful love, O God. I may still receive some refreshment, but dearest Lord Jesus, they gave Thee gall to drink. For Thee there was no help. Thou didst it all out of sovereign love for poor hell worthy sinners. Thou hast also done that for me.”

It is touching to listen how she extolls and wonders about God’s love!

Slowly, the hours pass. “What time is it?” she asks.

Someone answers, “It is just five o’clock.”

“Oh, another hour, and then my dear brother will be here.” She now lies there waiting with her eyes closed.

After a half hour her girlfriend asks, “Dear Mina, are you not afraid of death?”

“Why should I be afraid of death. The Lord is so good to me.” She lays her hand upon her heart and continues, “Oh, if you only knew how much love I feel in my heart for the Lord Jesus. If I could only express it!”

She is unable to speak any further, but she lifts her eyes to above.

At six o’clock she hears some noise downstairs in the house. “Here comes my dear brother,” she says. She hears that her brother and her mother are crying. “Listen,” she says, “they are crying. There is no reason to cry over me. They may not do that because of me…Let my brother come here by me…”

Several moments later her brother is upstairs. It is a very moving moment. They embrace, and they both shed tears. At the edge of the grave, in the last moments of her life, she may still see and speak to her brother.

“How is your wife?” she asks.

“She is well,” says her brother with deep emotion. She then asks about some acquaintances in Vlaardingen. When she hears that they are doing well, a smile comes over her face.

(To be continued)

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen