The Day of Salvation

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One Sunday afternoon, the weather was hot, the sun scorching. In order to feel cool, people found themselves relaxing in the shade of trees. Church service was over, and I decided to go visit some people in the community.

Pastor George (left) with the new convert

Under a tree a man was dozing, and seeing me approach, he welcomed me nicely and asked me to sit on a big stone lying by him. He asked his wife to give me water to drink. After quenching my thirst, I told him I had come to share the Word of God with him.

He gladly paid attention and was so happy to hear what Jesus has done for him. He asked, “If Jesus did something like this for a marginalized person and half-blind man like me, why did this gospel take so long to get to me?” According to him, he had moved from place to place and shrine to shrine to make sacrifices to appease the gods and to obtain local medicines. Early on, some people had told him he was being punished by the gods. He was hopeless.

He accepted Christ that very afternoon, and this was what he said: “My son, God sent you to give me water and food for my soul this day. I am satisfied inside now, and even though I cannot see well physically, I feel light and sight within me."

I remembered how the coming of Christ into the life or heart of an individual is a personal relationship between Christ and the one receiving Him. For this man, I believe this was what the Lord Jesus was saying: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” (2 Cor. 6:2).