“Do you ever feel heavy and dull in private prayer, and not at all up to the mark?” said a dear experienced pastor to a young disciple. “Indeed. I do,” said she. “And what do you do?” said he. “Well, I would rather that you should tell me what you do.” “Oh, it is very simple, my dear; it is just like having a poor appetite; you eat little and often.”
This was very sound advice. Would it were more acted upon. How often it happens that, when we feel dull and heavy, we neglect private prayer and the study of the word altogether, and thus we run down in our spiritual state and get away from the Lord. Let us watch against this; and even though we should feel so barren and cold as not to be able to utter five words, let us fall on our knees and cry, “Father! Father! My God! My Savior!” Let us repeat this again and again, until the soul is refreshed and strengthened. Let us adopt the sweet though homely saying— “Little and Often.”