By Ann Farabee

Salvation is simple — but deep.

The words were words from my pastor, but I took them home with me.

I began to remember the night I accepted Christ into my heart.

I let go of the back of the pew in front of me, and took the first step.

Walking nervously down the aisle, my tears began to flow and I fell to my knees at the altar. Jesus was doing a work in my heart.

The preacher called it an altar call. I called it a life changer.

At age 13, the Holy Spirit was ministering to my heart and I accepted Jesus.

Surrounding me was hand clapping and cries of “Amen,” and “Praise God,” coming from those in the congregation.

That night when I went to bed, I pulled the covers up over me tightly, and felt a deep spiritual moment in time that I still remember. Jesus was right there. I could talk to Him in whispers or I could think a prayer in my mind and Jesus could hear it. Relief and joy came along with having a friend named Jesus who would walk with me and talk with me and tell me I am His own. Oh the joy we shared as we tarried there, none other has ever known. Jesus was mine. I was His.

It almost seems simple. I guess God made it simple enough that simple people like me could understand it. But at the same time, the depth of what I had experienced seemed way beyond simple. Nothing or no one is bigger than God! The Resurrection of Jesus as He burst forth from the grave to give us victory over death was the greatest event in the history of the world!

Because of my relationship with Jesus, I began to feel that I was no longer a nobody, but I was a somebody. I was a child of God.

It is amazing how much of that Sunday night, Oct. 15, 1967, that I can still recall.

The words of this song are what I heard as I walked down the aisle:

Just as I am without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me

And that thou bidd’st me come to Thee

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

My legs were shaking as I took those steps to kneel at the altar, but it was easier walking down the aisle than it had been standing there holding on to the pew.

When that dear lady, that I have no idea who she was, prayed with me and said Amen, we then stood up and hugged, as she said, “You don’t have to go to hell now.” It was a comment that has stayed with me forever and I sure am glad she said it.

Salvation is the deepest, richest, strongest and most profound experience anyone could ever have — and Jesus wants to give it to us freely. He paid the price. He loved us enough to die for us.

Salvation still works. Salvation is still God’s plan for the young and for the old and for all in between.

Anyone who has accepted Christ has the same advocate fighting for them throughout battles of life that I do. Salvation flows deeply, forever in our minds, our hearts and our spirits. It brings us rivers of joy.

Need Jesus?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. — John 3:16

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. — Acts 16:31

By grace are we saved through faith, and not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. — Ephesians 2:8

Jesus is the Son of God.

He died for our sins, and rose again so that we could have eternal life.

Pray. Accept Him into your heart. Salvation is the key. Jesus is the door.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.