In the province of Hunan, China, there lived a little Chinese boy named He Long. He attended a village children’s meeting and there learned to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, the “Friend of little children.”
He’s home was a sad one. His father used to spend night after night away in the village, gambling and drinking, so that his poor mother was very miserable and often cried.
One night she was sitting up as usual, waiting for her husband to come home, and her heart was so heavy with dark hopelessness that she sat and sobbed as if her heart would break.
“What shall I do?” she cried. “What shall I do?”
At last little He could stand it no more. “Why don’t you pray to the Lord Jesus?” he suggested.
“I don’t know how to pray,” sobbed the poor woman.
“I’ll teach you, Mother,” said the little boy, sitting up.
“But your God wouldn’t listen to me, and He can’t do anything for your father,” replied his mother in a hopeless voice.
He climbed out of bed and knelt beside his mother. “Let’s pray, Mother,” he coaxed. “The Lord Jesus can change Father. He changes people’s hearts.”
“I don’t know what to say. I can’t pray,” said Mother.
“I’ll say it first, and you say it after me, Mother,” said little He.
So in the shadowy darkness the little fellow taught his mother to pray sentence by sentence. She hardly believed there could be any answer to that prayer, but little 8-year-old He had no doubts about the matter. Had he not been praying for some months now that the Lord Jesus would change his father’s heart, and bring peace and happiness into that little home?
Night after night, when the father was gambling and drinking away his earnings, He and his mother prayed together, and she seemed to get comfort from their prayers.
A few months later, the gospel tent came to their village. Out of curiosity He’s father began to attend the meetings. Before long he was convicted of sin. At last the time came when he was saved by the power of God.
Now there was no more gambling or drinking, and soon He Long’s home was the happy place he had dreamed of, while together he and his father and mother thanked God for hearing and answering their prayers.
ML-12/26/1976