A CHRISTIAN mother had to put to bed her two little girls whose ages were about five and seven years. The elder had been naughty; and when her mother had left the bed-room, the child was still crying and sobbing. With a mother’s love and care, she lingered on the landing a short time, scarcely liking to leave her child in so unsettled a state, and while she was waiting, she overheard them speaking thus to each other,
“Why don’t you be good, Lilly?”
“I can’t.”
“Then why don’t you pray?” said Jessie.
“I don’t know how.”
“Well, if you want bread and butter, you know how to ask mother for it. Why don’t you tell God that you are naughty, and ask Him to make you good?”
God wants you, my dear children, first to take the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, for He loves you and gave His blessed Son to die for you; He wants to save you. But even then you cannot keep yourself from doing wrong. Just go to Him and ask Him to keep you from displeasing Him, and He will give you strength.
Whether Lilly acted upon the suggestion of her sister, I am unable to say, but the advice which was given sets before us, in a simple manner, the true nature of prayer, and reminds us of such scriptures as these:
ML 05/19/1918