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 I
heard a little girl “say her prayers,” and the low, lisping
murmur warmed and filled my heart. “Now I lay me down to sleep
—” and she explored her childish memory, searching for the
words her mother had sought to place there.
And
then, a young dynamo of six full years “said his prayers”.
His open, confident voice showed no hesitancy. He wanted me to
know that he could “do it” without half trying — and he
hurried through the words in rapid succession. “Now-I-lay-me-down-
to-sleep....”
A
“Junior,” age nine, was late to the table — throwing his
baseball at the couch as he raced for his seat — but when his
father asked him to “say grace” he settled himself and bowed
his head. “God is great, God is good, God, we thank thee for
this food!” he repeated, with firmness and clarity.
But
in another home a teenaged boy, whose ultra-long hair scented to
embarrass his parents, came reluctantly to the table. He would
not look directly at “the preacher” when introduced, but
muttered a few words beneath his breath. His father had to ask
him the second time to “say the blessing” (his sister was
reaching for the food, and seemed surprised at the fathers
request) and there
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was an awkward silence before he began; “God
is great, God is good —”.
A
young convert, zealous and eager to learn, attended a men’s
training class and listened intently to the more experienced “give
the prayer.” He wanted to be prepared when “his turn”
came, and when it did he took a deep breath and began: “Our
Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thee name —.” (He didn’t
know what “hallowed” meant, and had no conception of the
grammatical use of “thee-thou” etc., but that was the way
“more experienced” men had trained him to “give a prayer.”)
And
the elderly saint “worded the prayer” — “without fear of
molestation,” “suit unto us such blessings”, that we may
hear thy welcome plaudit,” — and all listened patiently.
Until
one day I may live to hear a child taught to speak to God (by
parents constantly aware of His presence) or someone in the
assembly may really PRAY — and people will ask in
astonishment, “What was he doing??? Never spake man like
this!!” RFT
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