TWO little motherless girls lived in a small cottage in the village. Sally was about eight years old and her sister Mary was six. They were very poor. Their father was a laboring man, and he found great difficulty in supporting himself and his children.
One day these two little girls were left alone as their father had gone out to work. They had their breakfast in the morning with him before he left. But they had no dinner, nor anything to eat during the rest of the day, About the middle of the afternoon Mary said to her sister, “Sally, I’m very hungry. Is there anything in the cupboard that we can get to eat?”
“No,” said Sally; “I’ve looked all through the cupboard; but there isn’t a crust of bread, or a cold potato, or anything to eat, I wish there were something; for I’m hungry too.”
“Oh dear! What shall we do?” cried Mary; “I’m too hungry to wait till Father comes home!”
“Mary,” said her sister, “suppose we ask our Father in heaven to give us something to eat? Let us kneel down and say the Lord’s prayer. When we come to that part about “daily bread,” we’ll say it over three times, and then wait, and see if God will send us some.”
Mary agreed. They both kneeled down and Sally began: “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; give us this day our daily broad; give us this day our daily broad.” Then they waited quietly to see if anything would come.
While this was going on inside that little cottage, let me tell you what was taking place outside. Not far from this cottage lived all old man who was a miser. He had a good deal of money; but he never gave any of it to others; and never would spend a penny for himself if he could possibly help it. But that afternoon he had left home to go to the baker’s to buy a loaf of bread. He got the loaf and, as it was a stormy afternoon, he put it under his coat as he started to walk home.
Now it happened that just as he was passing the cottage in which the little girls were, a strong blast of wind blew the rain in his face, and he stepped into the porch of the cottage, and crouched down in the corner, to shelter himself from the wind and rain. In this position his ear was brought quite close to the keyhole of the door. He heard what the little girls had said, about being hungry. He heard their proposal to pray to the Father in heaven to give them bread. He heard the thrice repeated prayer— “Give us this day our daily bread.” Then came the silence, when the little ones waited, and watched for the bread. This had a strange effect on the miser. His hard, selfish heart, which had never felt a generous feeling for any one, warmed up, and grew suddenly soft in tenderness toward these helpless, hungry little ones. Tears moistened his eyes. He put his thumb on the latch of the door. The latch was gently lifted, and the door opened. He took the loaf from under his coat, and threw it into the room. The little girls, still waiting and watching on their knees, saw the loaf go bouncing over the floor. They jumped up on their feet, and clapped their hands for joy.
“Oh, Sally,” said little Mary, “how good God is to answer our prayer so soon! Did He send an angel from heaven to bring us this bread?”
“I don’t know who brought it,” answered Sally, “but I am sure that God sent it.”
And how about the miser? For the first time in his life he had given to the poor. Did the promise fail which says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you"? No; God’s promises never fail. The old man went to the baker’s, and bought another loaf for himself, and then he went home with different feelings from what he had ever had before. The warm, soft feeling that came into his hard heart, when he gave the loaf to those children, did not pass away. It grew upon him. He had found so much pleasure in doing that one kind act, Him he went on and did more. And God I blessed him in doing it. He began to pray to that God who had answered the prayer of those hungry girls for bread. He read the Bible. He found out that the Lord Jesus had met all his need as a poor lost sinner, and he was saved. Some time later he died a happy Christian. But before he passed away, as he was the owner of the cottage in which the little girls lived, he gave it to their father.
Here we have a lovely illustration of the Saviour’s words, “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” Luke 6:3838Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38). The old man gave the hungry little girls a loaf of bread and a home on earth. God gave him much more. He gave him eternal life through His beloved Son and a home in heaven. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23). “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” 2 Cor. 9:1515Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15). Does our dear reader possess this wonderful gift?
ML-09/25/1960