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Themes Trust God TRUST HIM! N. B. Vandall was a gospel preacher who wrote some very famous hymns. Two very popular hymns are "My Sins are Gone", and "My Home Sweet Home." Perhaps his most famous song is titled "After". One day, Mr. Vandall was sitting on his porch reading the newspaper. His wife asked him to call his four boys for supper. He gave his usual whistle to signal the boys. Suddenly, he heard a child crying. His second son, Ted, ran toward him screaming hysterically. Mr. Vandall tried to calm the boy. Finally, between sobs, Ted gasped, "I'm all right. It's Paul!" Paul, playing between the curb and the sidewalk, had been hit by a car. A neighbor man had called the ambulance. Ted described with more tears the condition of his brother as the ambulance drove off for the hospital.
Mr. Vandall rushed to the accident scene. A neighbor told him what had happened and where Paul had been taken. Mr. Vandall rushed to the hospital. Paul was still unconscious. He had a brain concussion, a fractured skull, a broken leg and a broken shoulder, and severe damage to his head. Soon the doctor came to talk to Mr. Vandall. The doctor was kind, but honest. "Paul is very badly hurt. We will do the best we can," he said, "but do not hope for too much." Mr. Vandall felt like the whole world had caved in. At that instant, he remembered God and His care for His people. He knew the Bible said that God loves us and cares for us. He decided to pray. He held his boy's hand and prayed for over an hour. When the doctors finally told him he had to leave, he stumbled wearily home, his mind whirling. He tried to console his wife, and together they prayed through the night. At times, all they could say was, "Oh, God." But, they knew God knew what was in their hearts. They knew they could trust God. He had the power to heal there son if He wanted to. Slowly, Paul recovered from His accident. Although he still has difficulty speaking, Paul returned to normal. Paul's recovery made Mr. Vandall realize that God can be trusted. Later, Mr. Vandall wrote the lovely song, "After" that described his joy at knowing the Lord was with him in the hardest of circumstances. One verse of the hymn says:
After the heartaches and sighing shall cease,
After the cold winter's blast,
After the conflict comes glorious peace-
I shall see Jesus at last. Mr. Vandall learned that he could trust God in a difficult situation. The most difficult situation you will ever face is the situation of YOUR SINS! Can you trust God to provide for YOUR SINS? God says you can! "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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Jim Batterton
