NOVEMBER 21, 2012
The
Deaf Hear
Read: Romans
10:1-14
How shall they hear without a preacher? —Romans
10:14
When
Thomas Gallaudet graduated from seminary in 1814, he had
planned on becoming a
preacher. However, his call to the ministry
took a different turn when he met
Alice, a 9-year-old, hearing-impaired
girl in his neighborhood. Gallaudet began
to communicate with her by
writing words with a stick in the dirt.
Helping
Alice motivated him to help others too. After consulting with
European and
American experts in educating the deaf, he refined a
system widely known today
as “signing” (a person’s hands spell out
the message). Eventually, he
established the American School for
the Deaf.
Gallaudet’s
school for the hearing-impaired contained a Christian
curriculum that shared
the gospel and included Bible instruction.
He had answered the call to
preach—but it was to a very special
group of people. Signing was the way he
communicated the gospel.
Like
Gallaudet, we too should be sharing the Word of God with people
in ways they
can understand. Otherwise, “How shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not
heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). How might God
want you to
reach out to those around you?
Seeking the lost, and pointing to Jesus,
Souls that are weak and hearts that are sore;
Leading them forth in ways of salvation,
Showing the path to life evermore. —Ogden
Don’t withhold from the world
the best news that’s ever come to it.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
