Dear children, there is a verse in the Bible which is very precious for those who get into any kind of trouble. You will find it in the 15th verse of the 50th Psalm. In this verse God says:
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”
Now I am going to tell you about two little children who got into trouble, and who called on God, and were delivered. E. was a boy about eight or nine years old; and M. was his little sister, about three or four years old.
The parents of these two children attended a meeting of God’s people on the Lord’s day; and in the cold weather of winter, they left the two children at home by themselves, and they had their little meeting, too. E. would read a chapter, and then they would pray tether; and when the parents came home, little N. would tell them about their meeting.
Now I will tell you about the trouble they got into. A friend gave E. a beautul canary bird, called Teady; and the first Lord’s day after Teady came, E.’s father warned him not to touch the bird, nor let him out of the cage, and E. promised he would not. When the parents came home they found everything all right, and they thought E. had been very obedient. But this was not the case, for E. had opened the cage, and the bird got away from them, and they were in great distress; and after they tried to catch the bird, and could not, they called on God, and He delivered them. It was little M. who told her father about this a short time after, for her conscience did not allow her to keep it hidden. I cannot tell you about it in her baby words, but I will tell you in her father’s words. She said to her father: “You ‘member ‘at Lord’s day you told E. not to touch Teady? Well he did touch him; and he took him out of the cage, and held him in his hand, and ‘en he let me hold him, and I could not hold him very tight for fear I would hurt him, and he got away, and flew up on the curtains poles, and on the curtain, and on the mantel, and all over; and we t’ied, and we t’ied, and we could not catch him; and we just went and knelt down, and we told the Lord all about it, and asked Him to help us catch Teady; and the Lord was very good to us, for He made the bird come right down on the carpet and stay there until E. caught him and put him back in the cage.”
There was nothing wonderful in this to little M. In childish simplicity she took it as the Lord’s answer to their prayer, as indeed it was. Oh! yes. God hears little children quite as readily as He hears big people, and He delights to hear their cry, and to deliver them when they are in trouble.
Now, dear children, have you learned to take your troubles to the Lord, as dear E. and M. did? He will hear you, if you do.
Have you ever had any trouble about your sins? This is the greatest trouble you can have. But Jesus died for your sins, and if you take this trouble to the Lord He will take it all away. He will forgive all your sins and make you happy in His presence. A.H.R
ML 10/29/1899