THERE was once a poor boy who was called “Little Peter.” He was an orphan, and begged from door to door. He had a beautiful voice, and sang very sweetly, and people did not often refuse to give him. He had a habit of saying, whatever would happen, “It comes from above;” and this is the way he learned to say it. When his father was dying, he said to his son, “My dear Peter, you will now be left alone, and many troubles you will have in the world. But always remember that all comes from above; then you will find it easy to bear everything with patience.”
In order not to forget these words, Peter would very often repeat them to himself, aloud. When he knocked at a door and the people would ask who was there, he would say “Alms for Little Peter.” Or he would say:
“Alms, to little Peter give;
Without shoes or hat I go,
To my home beyond the sky;
I have nothing here below.”
He acknowledged every gift by saying. “It comes from above!” and the Lord often used this little word of testimony. Once, as he was passing through the town, a sudden gust of wind blew off a portion of the roof of a house, which struck him to the ground. His first words, on rising, were. “It comes from above.” Those who heard him, laughed, and thought he must be out of his mind, for, of course, what hurt him could not fall from below. But they did not understand him. A minute after, the wind tore off a whole roof, in the same street, which crushed three men to death. Had Peter not been hindered by his fall, he might have been, at that moment, just where the roof fell.
Another time a gentleman employed him to carry a letter to a neighboring town, telling him to go with great haste. On the way, he tried to jump over a ditch, but it was too wide, and so he fell in and was nearly drowned. The letter was lost in the mud, and could not be found.
“It comes from above,” were the first words of the little boy when he got out. But the gentleman was quite angry, and drove him out of his store with a whip.
“It comes from above,” said Peter. The next day the gentleman sent for him.
“See here, that is for falling into the ditch,” said he, as he handed him quite a nice sum of money. “It was a good thing for me that the letter did not go, as I should have lost a great deal if it had gone.”
“It comes from above,” was Peter’s answer.
And so he went on all his life. He did not know many things, but this he learned well, and the Lord blessed him in using it. When he had grown to be a large boy, he was still called “Little Peter.” And now the Lord fully provided for him, by means of his confession of faith in things coming from above. A rich man came into the town where he was, and having heard his story, sent for him, that he might give him something. When he entered the room the gentleman said, “Why do you think I sent for you, Peter?” “It comes from above,” was the boy’s answer.
This greatly pleased the kind gentleman, and after thinking awhile, he said, “You are right; I will take you into my service and provide for you. Will you agree to that?”
“It comes from above,” answered Peter, “why should I not?”
Here he was taken care of and was taught a trade, and when his generous friend died, he left Peter a large sum of money, and so he became rich. But everything to him came but from one place, “above!”
Even so, dear young friends, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.” (James 1:1717Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17).) We are not made happy by what we have ourselves, but by what we receive from Him. And the first best gift, is His only begotten Son, that we might have life. It is all gift, when we come to God; He loves to give. Just think of these precious gifts: His Son Jesus Christ, life, breath, and all things, salvation, eternal life, grace and glory. And His way of giving is freely, liberally, abundantly, running over. Now, can you not trust Him? He has sent His Son to make sure to us, all things. Receive Him, as your Saviour, freely offered to put away all sin.
ML 08/19/1917