But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Matthew 14:13
It’s testimony day, because 67 years ago, in a hayloft dormitory in an old barn on the east coast of Nova Scotia, God saved my soul. And it all happened as I cried out, like Peter in our text: Lord, save me.
The Gospel was prominent as I grew up in a Christian family with strong fundamental roots for at least two generations. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know of my need of salvation. But I didn’t take it seriously. The house had Bibles aplenty, Sunday school papers, and books – one very special book with wonderful pictures, called ‘The Story of Jesus’. I recall during one of the many times I read it thinking, if I were alive back then, I would have been a follower of Jesus.
The radio played a huge part in the Gospel in our home. The airwaves were saturated every Sunday, from morning to night, with godly and able men clearly presenting the message. And I listened. I watched, too, at a friend’s house as a Billy Graham crusade message reached my soul. So when my Aunt Masie offered to send me – as a 12-year-old – to Bible camp, I gladly accepted, with the thought in my mind that maybe this is when I will get saved.
Maranatha Bible Camp – God used two of the children there to speak loudly to me. Little Georgie Moore, a sickly 8-year-old lad from the Dartmouth slums, was so happy that he was saved that he made me want to be, too. And Catherine Dodge, who I looked down on for knowing nothing about trees, struck me forcefully with her testimony: she knew something far more important than trees. During a campfire message, as tears slid down the cheek of dear old Ted White as he pleaded with us to be saved, I decided, it’s going to be tonight.
In the dormitory, I shared my need with my counsellor. Sonny Mills knelt with me beside my bed, read verses that I had known all my life, asked me to recite the sinner’s prayer – Lord be merciful to me a sinner – and then began to pray with me. As he prayed, the cry from my heart was ‘Lord, save me, save me!’ And He did. 67 years ago. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/abSswx637bA