A Change Takes Place

For three months Carl had been ill; the efforts put forth for his recovery seemed useless, and the continued massaging of his body brought no relief. His mother would often sit at his bedside despondent and dejected. Then he would pity her because she had withstood so much of him and that he was the cause of all her misery. He would begin to weep and say, “Oh, mother, I am a bad boy, and I do not know if I will ever get better, but if I do, I promise that I will never give you and father reason for sorrow. Oh, that the Lord may convert me even if I have to lie here the rest of my life, but I think this will not happen.”

Then his mother would say while she brushed away a tear: “That you do not know my child. The Lord may grant it to you. If it were written that the Lord Jesus came upon this earth for good people, then it would be hopeless for us and all other people, but now that the Lord Jesus came for sinners, yes, for vile and wretched sinners, there is a joyful expectation.” The godly mother would kneel at the bedside, and mother and child would beseech the Lord for His regenerating Spirit.

The repeated talks of his father, his minister, and other godly friends, who would set forth Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and the fervent prayers so continuously uttered at his bed, brought no change in Carl’s condition. It became more evident each day that the Lord alone is the mighty One to raise up a broken and dejected spirit.

One morning Carl asked his father what the valley of Achor was. It was revealed to him during the night that the Lord would give him a door of hope in the valley of Achor. Then his prayer was continuously, “Show me a token for good!”

His father told him that the valley of Achor meant the valley of darkness and fear and that he was now therein. That darkness encircled him because as a consequence of his sin, he could see nothing but wrath and condemnation, but the Lord would grant a door of hope for all those in such circumstances. The Lord Jesus was that Door as He Himself said, “I am the Door.” As also David when he found himself in darkness and fear uttered the prayer, “Shew me a token for good.”

The following morning when his father came to his bedside, Carl raised his hand and said, “Father, the Lord has given me a token for good. I can stretch out my arm! Oh, now I see a door of hope; now I believe the Lord will again make me whole and save my soul.”

Speedily the glad tidings resounded throughout the home, and soon parents and children surrounded the bed. Carl, shaking their hand one by one, kept repeating, “This is what the Lord has done.” All were moved; tears of happiness flowed freely from young and old, for seven months of sadness had passed by—now, sorrow was turned to happiness.

A few hours later the doctor came to the home. Carl lay with both hands under the covers, but when the doctor asked him how he was, he immediately raised one arm in the air and said, “See doctor! Now I have another doctor, one who has made me better and will further restore my health.”

The face of the doctor changed, and with an angry look he turned to the lady of the house saying, “What is this? Another doctor! Do you think he has more knowledge and skill than I?”

Mother Cooper laughed and said, “Doctor, let Carl tell you what has happened.”

Then Carl said with a clear voice while he held his hand aloft, “Doctor, the Lord has done a token for good to me; He has done it, He alone.”

The doctor shrugged his shoulders and seemed perplexed, for it appeared that he had more respect for his own practice than for the all-powerful words of the heavenly Physician.

What would the unbelieving world now say? To those who were not totally blind, it was evident that a wonder had taken place with Carl. To everyone who came to the house he would freely relate how the Lord had begun to again raise him up and had promised to make him completely whole. What was most important, he now had a hope that the Lord would renew his spirit. Yes, children, it was indeed very pleasant to hear out of the mouth of this young lad the praises rendered unto the Lord. If you had been at his bedside, he would have told you that you are a lost sinner and that except the Lord renew your heart your future would be lamentable.

Shortly thereafter, one of Carl’s comrades came to visit him. He was glad to see him. He shook his hand and said, “Garret, the Lord is my doctor. He has again given me the use of my hand, and I am now a different person from when we both used to do all sorts of naughty things. I am not converted, but still I have become another person, and I have come to love the Lord so much that the whole world is not worth a pin to me. Oh, Garret, we are all in a terrible state! Never did I know this, but the Lord has revealed it unto me, and now I wish that He would also make it known unto you. Oh, pray without ceasing that the Lord may renew your spirit.”

In this way he had a word of reproof for everyone and also a word of praise for the service of the Lord. In this was fulfilled the words of Matthew 21:16 where the Lord says, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.”

RECOMMENDED: The editors of The Banner of Truth encourage our readers to find additional edifying material to read using the digibron.nl website where Banner issues from 1943 to present have been archived and made accessible. These include the early Dutch meditations. Also, there is more to the above story about Carl which begins in the December 1941 issue and ends in the March 1942 issue. These can be found using this link: https://tinyurl.com/BannerCarl

NOTICE TO OUR READERS: Rev. H. de Leeuw was not able to provide the next installment this month in the series “The Man Born Blind.” He hopes to continue in the October issue.

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