A woman, who had been in the service of a certain family for years, overheard a conversation between ministers of the gospel on the subject of “prayer”. They seemed rather unsettled about the meaning of 1 Thess. 5:1717Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
The servant accidently hearing one of their remarks could not refrain from expressing her deepest conviction on a subject so important to herself, She said,
“‘Pray without ceasing’ is one of the most comprehensive texts in the Bible for me.”
“How can that be, Mary, do you pray every moment in your life?”
“Yes, sir I do,” she replied to the mister addressing her.
“What about your work, don’t you have much to do?”
“I certainly have, sir, but the more I have to do, the more I pray.”
“I wish you would tell us how it is, for many could not agree with you.”
“It is just this way,” she answered, “early in the morning when I wake up, I ask the Lord to open the eyes of my understanding. While I dress, I thank Him for putting on me the robe of righteousness, in washing myself, I ask Him to keep my soul clean from all stains of sin. When I begin my work, I remind the Lord of His promise,
“When I stir the fire, I earnestly wish that my soul be constantly revived by divine grace. When I sweep the house, desire ardently that my heart be kept pure.
When I sit down to sat my meals, I ask the Lord to feed me with spiritual manna, and with the pure milk of His Word, and this I continue all through the day. Everything I do is a subject of prayer for me.”
“Enough,” said one of the ministers, “the truth is indeed hid to the intelligent, but revealed to the humble minded; continue to pray, Mary, we thank you for your. testimony which has opened our spiritual eyes.”
ML 10/19/1941