Stephen, a small African boy, was seven years old when... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2023

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.
Psalm 27:10.

Stephen, a small African boy, was seven years old when his mother left him. Her son soon lived on the streets. He satisfied his hunger from white people’s waste bins and slept under a bridge. At the age of fourteen he joined a violent gang and later a Marxist organisation that sought to liberate the land and gave him the task of causing unrest among the population of his town.

On the edge of the town a tent mission was taking place. Armed with petrol bombs Stephen, now 19 years old, mixed in with those attending. The testimony of a conversion given at the beginning impressed him and forced him to go on listening. He heard about sin and what it can lead to, e.g. violence and its eventual end. Stephen was perplexed. He thought the preacher was speaking to him personally. How did he know about his life?

Then Stephen heard of God’s saving grace. At the end he had forgotten why he had come. He went up to the preacher and told him his life’s story. The promise in today’s verse was read to him.

Stephen’s conscience convicted him of his sins and his heart was won by God’s love. For the first time in his life he knelt down to pray to God. He sensed that God loved him and was waiting for him. So he prayed: “My parents don’t want me. O God, receive me. I regret all the evil I have done. Jesus, forgive me and receive me now.”

Stephen had the assurance that God had forgiven and accepted him. A lost child among millions of Africans had been found by Jesus; that gave him relief, lasting peace and joy.

Today’s reading: Genesis 3:1-13 · 1 Peter 1:8-16