Some little girls were talking to a friend one day about the Lord Jesus, and how to come to Him, when one of them, a little one about eight years old, said,
“Every night I pray, ‘Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.’”
“Oh! I don’t pray that. I pray, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner,’” said Grace, who was two or three years older.
Another little one added softly, “I don’t pray either of those prayers.”
“And what do you pray, Katie?” asked their friend.
“I pray, ‘O God! I thank Thee that Thou hast washed me, and made me whiter than snow’.”
That little prayer made their friend’s heart glad, and what was still better, I think it made the Savior’s heart glad, not only to think that a darling child had trusted Jesus and so had her sins washed away in His own precious blood, but because she came to Him and thanked Him for it.
And now, I want to ask just YOU, your very own self, which prayer you could pray best, right now? Which one suits you? Do you still have all those sins, those lies, the times you’ve been cross, those impure thoughts and bad words, and perhaps many grosser sins, (God knows every one) are all those things still written down in God’s book against you? Are they still all on you like a big black load taking you down into hell?
If this is so, may the Lord show you what a terrible, terrible place you are in. Come to Him, just as you are, right now, with those first little prayers, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow,” and I am quite sure God will receive you right now, and be merciful to you and wash you whiter than snow; for He says, “Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.” Then you can truthfully pray Katie’s prayer, “I thank Thee that Thou hast washed me and made me whiter than snow.”
But just a little word to those who have already come to Jesus and have had their sins washed away in His own precious blood. I know that many of my readers can take up dear Katie’s prayer and thank God they are washed and made whiter than snow, but, do you thank Him? or do you so often forget?
Let us begin at once and say with the Apostle Paul, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift.” His Gift to us is Christ.