I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour
in the month of May, in the year 1905, as a young lad of eight and one-half years
of age, in the town of Portobello, near Edinburgh, Scotland. My mother and father
were saved and in assembly fellowship before I was born, therefore, from my earliest
remembrance, I went to the Gospel Hall and heard the Word in the Sunday School
and saw the Bible honoured in the home.
My first recollection of the Holy Spirit dealing with my soul was in Dunfirmline,
Scotland when, in the absence of our parents, we children thought that the Lord
had come for His own and that we were left behind for judgment. The return of
father and mother relieved our terror, but an impression remained in my soul.
We moved from Dunfirmline to Portobello and God again spoke to me. My brother
Alex, who was my senior by two years, trusted Christ, leaving me more lonely and
troubled than before. Outwardly carefree, I inwardly longed to have what my brother
had.
One never-to-be-forgotten night, I saw my brother kneel at our bedside to pray,
while I crawled into bed, utterly miserable, pretending to go to sleep, but thinking
all the while of that verse, "I tell you, in that night two shall be in one
bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left" (Luke 17:34).
Mother came into the room to say goodnight and I heard my brother say, "Mother,
I believe Albert is troubled, let's pray for him." They thought that I was
sleeping, but I listened to every word. That prayer melted my heart and removed
all pretense of sleep. As mother rose from her knees, she saw my distress and
inquired as to its cause. "I want to get saved now," was my reply.
The Scriptures were opened and my mother read some of the well known, often used
Gospel verses that have brought multitudes to Christ, but all was dark to me.
I thought, "I know all these verses and I always believed they were true.
How can I believe any differently?"
Finally, I was turned to Isaiah 53:5 and 6. In verse 6 I saw myself as a straying,
lost sheep and in verse 5, I saw the Saviour as the One who was wounded for my
transgressions. Losing sight of my believing and my fears, I saw that Jesus was
wounded for me. God's Word was enough, God was satisfied and I rested there. For
well over seventy years I have known the blessedness of sins forgiven and peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Albert W. Joyce 1896-1982
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