God’s Free Grace Glorified (3)

Oh, Father,” Mina called out, “Please go to Leiden! There I will become healthy again. Oh, Father, please go away from here, I beg you, please go to Leiden where the Lord is calling you.” “

The tears were running down her cheeks. She threw her arms around his neck and weeping she said, “Go to Leiden, please do it for me, then I will get better.”

Mina’s parents were moved to tears. They had sympathy with their child, yet her father could not follow the urging of his daughter, for he had to follow the direction of the Lord, and he knew very clearly what the will of the Lord was.

“Listen to me,” he said. “I pray you, do not try to convince me to go to Leiden. Please do not hinder me from following the way which the Lord wants me to go. I may not leave here, for the Lord has very clearly made that known to me.” His wife remained silent, but Mina began to sob, “Oh father, please do not remain in Zeeland. It will be the cause of my death. The doctor himself has said it. Please go away from here.”

Now her father began to weep. “My dear child,” he said, “You know how much I love you. For you I would very gladly go to another place, away from Zeeland. Perhaps it would be best for you. The Lord, however, has powerfully directed me by means of His Word that I may not leave here. I do not dare to leave. I may not disobey the Lord. My dear Mina, you would not want to be the cause that the Lord would come to oppose me, would you? I may not resist God’s will. What terrible results that could lead to! My dear child, listen closely to me, even here, your life is in God’s hand just as it would be in Leiden. The Lord must protect you everywhere. Our lives are in His hand, and He directs all things. Come, let us pray together to the Lord.”

They went and sat down with eyes closed and hands folded. The minister brought all of the needs before the Lord’s countenance. Rev. Middel spoke to the Lord as a child speaks to his own father. He laid all of the needs before God’s throne, especially the needs of his poor daughter. After the prayer there were no more tears, and Mina no longer spoke of the matter. It appeared that she had bowed in submission to the will of the Lord, who is all wise and all good.

After this time Mina’s health began to fail. There was no more conversation about Leiden. It almost seemed that the young daughter would never be completely healthy again. Frequently, she prayed to God in secret. Her father followed her activities, and from time to time listened to her as she prayed without her being aware of it. Then she prayed to the Lord for grace and conversion as a poor, guilty one, who had deserved nothing, but who only had been directed to beg for grace.

When her father heard these things, he took courage that it would be well with his daughter and that the Lord would bring her to conversion. However, the world with all its allurements drew strongly, and Mina’s youthful heart was bound to everything of the world. She longed to possess and enjoy all the pleasant things which the world offered.

She was convinced of the truth, and she had a deep realization of the necessity of being reconciled with God. That was only possible by means of the merits of Christ. She knew that very well, but it was so difficult for the young girl to say farewell to all these things and to submit herself unto the Lord who is so worthy to be served.

The doctor encouraged her to go back to Gelderland for a while. Perhaps her health would again improve. Her parents, who would do anything for her, followed the advice of the doctor and Mina went back to the province where it was better for her health than it was in Zeeland. After several weeks her health seemed to improve. When her bodily health improved, however, her prayers lessened, and her desires went out for that which perishes.

After returning to Middleburg, her health suffered a severe setback. The young lady had a happy disposition, but that was severely dampened because of her bodily condition. She was quickly moved, and her soul was affected by the smallest matter. If she were of the opinion that she had done something wrong, it drove her out unto God to seek forgiveness. She prayed more than she did in the past. She continually felt her unworthiness. The necessity of being converted was impressed more and more upon her soul. She had more desire to search God’s Word and she longed for a preaching which should uncover for her what she was missing but also which would point out to her a way of reconciliation.

When her father heard her pray in secret, then he would receive some encouragement. However, sometime later he would see how she was bound to things of this earth, and he feared that it was only a praying because of fear of punishment for sin such as it was by Cain and Ahab. p

(To be continued)

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