A group of boys were on a camping trip. Already they had put up their tents and, climbing into their sleeping bags, were preparing to settle down for
the night.
Leslie, the group leader, was about to go to his tent when he found himself looking into a young face and heard a boy’s voice saying, “Please, would you be good enough to do me — a — favor?”
Billy was a newcomer but already he and his leader had become good friends.
“Well, sonny, tell me. What is it you want?”
“Well, I’ve got to sound the reveille at 5:30 tomorrow morning, and I’m afraid I won’t wake up. Mother says I’m an awful sound sleeper, and I wondered if you would wake me up.”
“And supposing I don’t wake up myself. What then?” asked Leslie with a twinkle in his eye.
The boy’s face fell. “I never thought of that,” he said
with dismay.
“Never fear,” smiled his friend. “You leave it to me. I’ll wake you at 5:15.” With this comforting assurance, the small boy ran off and was soon asleep.
But when Leslie went to his tent, he began to feel a little nervous. He was a sound sleeper himself. Suppose he did not wake up in time to rouse the little bugler!
However, Leslie was a Christian and loved his Savior. He believed that nothing was too small to pray about, and so when he kneeled down that night, he gave the problem to the Lord, asking Him to undertake for him and his young friend. The Bible says, “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. ... He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him” (Psalm 145:18-1918The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Psalm 145:18‑19)).
Leslie lay down near the entrance of the tent and was soon fast asleep.
The next thing he knew was that he was suddenly awake and felt as though a pail of water had been thrown in his face! Thinking someone was playing a joke on him, he jumped up. He was just in time to see a big cow disappearing outside the tent door. In a flash he realized what had happened.
Someone had left a wash basin full of soapy water at the door of the tent. A curious cow, strolling around in the early hours of the morning, had taken a drink, and finding the soap not to her taste, she had promptly snorted it into the face of the sleeping Leslie.
Fully awake, he remembered the promise he had made to his young friend, and looking at his watch he saw that it was exactly 5:15. Then he understood. With a prayer of thanks to God for answering his prayer, he went to wake up the little bugler.
When the other boys heard the story, they had a good laugh and wondered why such a thing had happened to Leslie! But at breakfast, as Billie and his leader looked at each other, they smiled, because Leslie had told Billie how he had prayed the night before and how the Lord had answered his prayer. “The Lord will hear when I call unto Him” (Psalm 4:33But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. (Psalm 4:3)).
Messages of God’s Love 11/14/2021