I was brought up by my grandparents, and although they never went to church, my sister and I were sent to Sunday School every week. When I was thirteen I became a Sunday School teacher even though I knew little about the Bible. Every Sunday I was told that if I wanted to go to heaven I had to be good, upright and honest – which at sixteen was proving almost impossible to do.
Then something remarkable happened, someone came to the church and began a meeting for children on a Sunday evening, I was asked to go along to help. The people who came to talk to the children seemed to speak another language. I had never heard anyone speak about the Bible as they did. I began to realise that I had a heart that was black with sin, but was too shy and timid to ask how it could be made clean. It worried me for several weeks until I went to a meeting on April 1st 1947. A verse from the Bible was read three times and it told me that the Lord Jesus Christ had come into the world to save sinners. I don’t remember anything about the rest of the meeting, all I knew was that my heart had been made clean, and I had a quiet peace in my heart.
I had a great desire to read the Bible. I read it on the bus, on the train on my way to work, in my break time, and at lunch – it became the most important book to me, and it still is. I read about baptism and I knew I should be baptised, and that took place on March 17th 1948.
All this seems as if it took place yesterday, but 70 years later, the Lord Jesus is more precious to me now than He was then. As I look back over my life I am amazed at how He has kept me, watched over me and guided me. There have been times of great joy, of disappointment, and great loss, but He has always been such a faithful Friend and Saviour.
When I had been married almost 12 years, my husband became seriously ill and within a month he had died. I felt as if the bottom had dropped out of my life. It was then I experienced as never before all I had read in the Bible about His compassion, His strength and His nearness. I came to accept that He does ALL things well, even the hard things which I could not understand. He cared for me and my two young daughters as no one else could, and I learnt to trust Him for every need, and He has never failed.
He is more precious to me now than He has been. He has led in paths I never imagined I would tread. He has kept me, and although He knows all my failures and shortcomings, yet He loves me just the same. He is my best Friend who I can talk to about everything at any time. He is my Guide and my Comforter, and He never changes.
As I get older, I find Him more patient with me, more gentle and understanding, and His love for me is amazing.
All the way my Saviour leads me: what have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.
