Lord Jesus, hear my simple prayer,
Which mother bids me say tonight;
Preserve with all Thy loving care
My daddy, dear, who’s gone to fight
For good King George across the sea,
And bring him safely back to me.
O God of mercy, let us rise
Triumphant o’er our cruel foe.
Receive each man who nobly dies,
And comfort every heart of woe.
Lord, guide us to the happy day
When deadly strife has passed away,
God bless my mother, keep her brave
And patient through her hours of pain;
And Thou, whose grace alone can save,
Bring daddy back to her again.
Look after him, I pray, till then,
For Jesus’ sake, our Lord. Amen.
W.S.L.
From the “Daily Chronicle.”
One has often heard of the wonderful way in which God has permitted the actual Bible to be the means of preserving life. The following incident has just recently come under the notice of the secretary of the Scripture Gift Mission: — A young officer was given a Bible, which he had promised to carry in his hip pocket. His mother had written on the fly-leaf two verses from the ninety-first Psalm, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee,” etc. This he had done. A German shrapnel burst quite close to him, and a piece of it struck the Bible, cutting it through to the ninety-first Psalm, and blackening the very page, and instead of going right through his body, glanced off and wounded him in the back, thus saving his life. The incident was also the means in God’s hands of leading him to the Saviour.
Life of Faith
The work of God is still going on among the soldiers on Salisbury Plain, as the following incident will show: — One of the thirteen who decided for Christ was a friend of burglars, who was often intoxicated, yet deeply thoughtful. He said he always believed in God, never allowing a night to pass, even when under the influence of liquor, without praying. The work of the Lord Jesus was explained, and various passages carefully scanned. Then St. John 14:11Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1) was read to him with the comment, “I know you believe in God; now listen, and you can almost imagine the Saviour is speaking: Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in Me.’” “Let’s see it!” he said. Then whilst slowly reading it he ejaculated, “Well―I’m―blowed!”
When the Life is Changed
He was under deep conviction, and beautifully surrendered himself, and said he would read the “Book” (Testament) until it was burnt into his brain. Later he showed me a letter he had written to his wife. Part of it ran thus: ―
“My dear old gal, I have been a brute to you in the past, but all shall be changed when I come home. It shall be all sunshine for you and the dear babies. The ways of God are sometimes slow, but they arts always sure. Trust Him, and pray that I may be brought home safely.
“am your old man, Tom.”
The Sailor’s Song
The sailors on the Southern seas sing, “Midnight is past, the cross begins to bend.” And we, as voyagers through these troubled ages, in which “the sea and the waves are roaring,” and the wrath of men has risen to break up the peace of nations, may sing “Midnight is past! the morning star arises, we are soon to see our Lord.” All things point to His speedy coming.
“Our hearts beat high,
The dawn is nigh
That ends our pilgrim’s story
In His appointed glory.”
A Scripture Reader recently returned from the Front says it is quite an exception to hear bad language in the trenches; more often than not one hears them praying. During a lull in the trenches you will find those who have Testaments sitting quietly reading them. At other times they read to any who may be wounded and waiting attention.
Oh! for a thousand Gospels of St. John, published by the Scripture Gift Mission, with hymns at the end. Will any reader send them to me for the soldiers? French Testaments are wanted as well.
The Loss of the “Bulwark”
“A Bereaved Mother,” who lost a son on the Bulwark, says she is constrained to write that which may comfort others as it has comforted her. She often reads, she says, of officers giving tribute to their men. She writes to do the same to Captain Sclater and Chaplain Hewetson, of the Bulwark. Her son, in writing, told her that “each day a solemn service had been held, through which the men had become daily more attached to the Chaplain. After each service the Captain had addressed them, telling them to be prepared for death at any moment. Then they had five minutes’ silent prayer, and, “her son added,” then I pray for you and the War.” The mother proceeds: “Think, dear fellow mourners, how those eight hundred souls have been prepared to meet their God, in company with those two dear officers.
“Pray, pray earnestly, pray continuously, for our Soldiers and Sailors.