Just of recent I read a book, ‘Wondrous Love’ by D.L Moody, and there in that book is a particular real life story of the man of God and a soldier at his dying moment. I learn a lot of lessons from this story and I want to share it with you too.
"I remember, after one of the terrible battles in the American civil war (I was in the army, attending soldiers) and I had just laid down one night, past midnight, to get a little rest, when a man came and told me that a wounded soldier wanted to see me.
"I remember, after one of the terrible battles in the American civil war (I was in the army, attending soldiers) and I had just laid down one night, past midnight, to get a little rest, when a man came and told me that a wounded soldier wanted to see me.
I went to the dying man. He said, 'I wish you to help me to die!' I said: 'I would help you to die if I could. I would take you on my shoulders and carry you into the Kingdom of God, if I could; but I cannot. But I can tell you of one that can.'
And I told him of Christ being willing to save him; and how Christ left heaven and came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. I just quoted promise after promise, but all was dark, and it almost seemed as if the shades of death were gathering around his soul.
I could not leave him, and at last I thought of the third chapter of John, and I said to him: 'Look here, I am going to read to you now a conversation that Christ had with a man that went to him when he was in your state of mind, and inquired what he was to do to be saved.' I just read that conversation to the dying man, and he lay there with his eyes riveted upon me, and every word seemed to be going home to his heart, which was open to receive the truth.
When I came to the verse where it says: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life,' the dying man cried: 'Stop, sir, is that there?' 'I said to him, Yes, it is all here.' Then he said, 'Won't you please read it to me again?' I read it the second time. The dying man brought his hands together, and he said: 'Bless God for that! Won't you please read it to me again?'
I read through the whole chapter, but long before the end of it he had closed his eyes. He seemed to lose all interest in the rest of the chapter, and when I got through it his arms were folded on his breast. He had a sweet smile on his face; remorse and despair had fled away. His lips were quivering, and I leant over him, and heard him faintly whisper from his dying lips: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.'
He opened his eyes and fixed his calm, deathly look on me, and said: '0 that is enough! That is all I want.' And he pillowed his dying head on the trust of those two verses, and in a few hours rode away on one of the Savior’s chariots, and took his seat in the kingdom of God."
