14 Days of God's Promises - Day #10

 And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 

And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 

 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 

 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

-Revelation 21:5-8

This poem was written by a boy named Alfred Wileman, who died at a young age, on February 13th, 1864, aged only eleven years and ten months. Alfred left behind him several pieces of poetry, written by him in a copybook. He wrote the poem below when he was only nine years old, showing much spiritual understanding above his years that evidently God had graciously given him. 

HEAVEN

By Alfred Wileman, aged 9 years old

There is a place for those who love

The Lord, the God of Heaven above; 

That place is Heaven, where all those meet

Who love to bow at Jesus' feet. 

There is no sorrow there, nor pain, 

But joy and peace for ever reign;

And Christ the Lord for ever stands

To welcome sinners to His hands. 

There all the elders round the throne

Do join in one majestic tone; 

There all the holy we shall see, 

And dwell in their society. 

There all those meet who loved the Lord, 

And everywhere His name adored; 

O may we run the heavenly race, 

And reach at last the blissful place. 

Alfred Wileman has long since overcome and reached that blissful place, reaping the promised reward of life everlasting, young though he was. Some of his last words were these, that his mother recorded him having said during his final days of sickness, though he was struggling to speak: "Palm--victory--praise--rejoice, ye saints, and render praise." Afterwards he waved both hands, and said, with all the strength he could muster, "Victory! victory! Jesus got the victory!" His face shone with joyfulness. 

He also wrote other poems, one more of which I'll share here: 

A PRAYER 

Holy, holy, holy Lord! 

Teach us to believe Thy Word; 

Send Thy Spirit into our heart, 

And Thy sovereign grace impart. 

Our sins forgive, 

Our hearts renew, 

And let us live 

Our lives anew. 

Break our stony hearts, O Lord; 

Bring us back again to God;

Give us help in time of need, 

And our souls and bodies feed. 

O save our souls

From lasting pains, 

And make us free 

From Satan's chains. 

"He thus lived to fill his book, [speaking of the poems he wrote], and then, like the three Hebrew youths, passed through the fire without being touched by the flames. In loftier strains and sweeter songs he now sings Jehovah's matchless grace and Immanuel's dying love." -Harriet Wileman, Alfred's Mother

To read more about his story, and of others who died at young ages in the Lord, you can purchase the book "Lambs Safely Folded" HERE.  I look forward to meeting them all in Heaven someday. Will you be there? It's a question too serious to push out of your mind if God is dealing with you. Friend, seek the Lord while He may be found. 

Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: 
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. -Isaiah 55:6-7