Little, Hugh lived in England, in one of the large cities found in that country. He was only eight years old, hut he could read nicely, and he liked to get a book about “Adventures,” as he called it. He thought he would like to go out and camp in the woods and shoot real lions or bears.
One day his father brought home a man to tea. He was a missionary, and he had come from the cold north country where the Esquimaux live in their funny little “iglows” or houses made of ice. Hugh could hardly eat any supper, he was so busy listening to the wonderful stories the missionary told. True stories of adventure and hardship; of long journeys on the ice, in the bitter cold; of want of proper food and shelter, and all to tell the gospel of God to these poor, ignorant men, who had never heard of Jesus, and did not know anything about having their sins forgiven.
At first Hugh was too shy to ask any questions, but after tea the gentleman took him on his knee, and he began then to feel more at home with him.
“Did you ever see a big bear, or a lion or an elephant?” he asked.
His new friend laughed as he told him lions and tigers and elephants could only live in hot countries; but he said,
“I have sometimes seen white bears, and grizzly bears, and fierce, dangerous creures they are.”
“Were you not afraid when you saw a bear?” said Hugh.
The missionary confessed that he was afraid.
“But,” he added, “God can take care of us, you know.”
“Yes,” Hugh replied, “I know that, and I wish I could come with you, and help you to tell these poor men about Jesus.”
The gentleman did not laugh at the little boy this time, but he said,
“You are too young to come with me yet, but you can help at home, by asking the Lord to bless the words spoken, and to save many of the poor Esquimaux.”
When Hugh went to bed that night, he thought of those words, and when his usual prayer was said, he asked God very earnestly to bless the poor Esquimaux, and he added,
“Don’t let the big white bears kill my missionary.”
Do you think God heard this prayer? I am sure He did, for little Hugh asked it in the name of the Lord Jesus, and lie really meant what he said.
When you pray, do you really mean what you say, or do you just say what you have been taught, without thinking about it at all? This little boy did not forget about “his missionary” as he liked to call him, and every night he earnestly prayed for him.
Many months passed, and at last one day a letter came from that far north country, and in it was a message for Hugh, to tell him that as his friend was paddling in his canoe, down. a harrow stream, when he saw on the bank a huge white bear. There seemed to be no way of escape; the creure saw him and made ready to spring on him, when suddenly he appeared to change his mind, and turned away in ather direction. The missionary wrote, “I thought of my little friend, and how he was praying every evening for me, that I should he protected from the big white bear.”
“This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desired of Him.” 1 John 5:14,1514And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14‑15).
ML 11/08/1942