He Knows My Name - written by Alfred (a short story for kids)

Once upon a time there lived a little boy named Matthew. He lived in the rough streets of London, and he pretty much knew the city like the back of his hand.

It was the year 1983.

Matthew was an orphan. He had never had anyone care for him or anyone to even be there for him. Everybody that had been around him had been there to take advantage of him.

Matthew had heard about God and he believed that there was a God, after all how could there be any creation without a creator? But the thing was that Matthew didn’t believe that God cared about him. He had suffered so much. He had seen the many faces of pain and had stared it in the face. He was only just 13 years old but he had experienced enough suffering to last him a life time. There was just no way that God cared about him. Maybe God cared about somebody else and blessed them and made them rich but as for him God never cared about him.

One day, Matthew had just finished stealing his lunch for the day and he sat under a shaded area in an open alley and he began to grub down his food.

Just then another little boy who was just about his age came by and stood in front of Matthew. The boy was well dressed, he was clean and he was holding a bible.

Matthew looked behind the boy and he noticed that the boy was not alone per say. He had stormed into the neigbourhood along with a whole group of well dressed people of different ages and sizes who where moving in different directions and talking to everyone in sight. They are probably a church group doing a soul winning thing, Matthew thought.

Matthew decided that he might as well allow the boy standing in front of him talk. He might listen to him talk but that doesn’t mean he was going to buy the message that he was selling.

The boy introduced himself to Matthew and soon started talking to him about Jesus Christ.

Matthew ate as the boy spake. Matthew had a brilliant mind. He wasn’t giving the boy his full attention but he wasn’t making him feel ignored at the same time. Matthew listened to everything the boy had to say as he ate even though he wasn’t quite sure at certain moments if Matthew was listening.

After the boy finished speaking, he asked Matthew if he would like to give his life to Christ now.

Matthew stopped eating and froze as though he was stuck in time. Then, he bust out laughing uncontrollably some seconds later.

The boy who had just finished preaching felt uncomfortable and sort of disappointed.

Matthew stopped laughing as quickly as he started laughing, then he gave the boy a big flat, No! That he would not be giving his life to Christ.

Matthew told him that looking at him with his pretty clothes on; God may love him but as for him Matthew, God does not care about him.

The boy told Matthew that that was impossible.

Matthew was annoyed by what the boy just said but he maintained his composure and calmly but firmly told the boy that now he (Matthew) has finished eating, he has other things to do so if he (the boy) doesn’t mind he would now like him to go away.

The boy had no choice but to walk away.

Later that evening, as Matthew slept on the floor; a heavy rain started and a bolt of lighting struck the ground just a few inches away from Matthew’s head. The heavy sound of the bolt of lighting woke up Matthew and as soon as Matthew understood what had just happened he ran for cover and then he said, “And that stranger early today said that God loves me.”  

Suddenly, Matthew heard a still small voice in his head and it called his name. It introduced himself to him as the voice of God, and Matthew was shocked. He was shocked that God knew his name.   God told him that it was because of him that that the lightening bolt didn’t hit his head. He shifted it that was why it hit some inches away from his head.

God told him that he is mad about being an orphan and he thinks that he doesn’t love him because of it but what he (Matthew) doesn’t know is that his mother wanted to commit abortion when she was pregnant with him and her own mother supported the idea but He (God) had to push and manipulate circumstances so that rather than Matthew being killed, that he would end up an orphan in the street.

God broke down how he had saved Matthew each and everytime that he had suffered something major or minor in his life as he grew up on the cold streets of London.

God told Matthew that he is missing one big fact and it is the fact that he is alive. It was that, He (God) has kept him (Matthew) alive through it all.

Every word that God spoke went straight to Matthew’s heart and he realized that God did care about him, God did love him, God knew his name, God was for him and not against him. God had helped him so much from day one but he (Matthew) just hasn’t made himself avaliable to God by him coming to the cross and getting saved so that God can help him as much as His heart burned to help him.

20 minutes later, Matthew knocked on the door of the boy that had preached to him earlier.

The boy was shocked and asked him how he knew his house, and Matthew answered, “Well, I actually let you sit down and preach to me so that I could steal your wallet. I’m sorry about that and I’m sorry about the 15 bucks that was in it. I’ve already used it up. Here is your wallet back but that’s not the main reason why I came. I came so that you might led me in the salvation prayer and tell me more about Jesus. I believe he cares for me now. I believe he loves me now. I now know that he knows my name.”

THE END.