Made It a Matter of Prayer
The following incident is told concerning a good, old farmer who had become the happy inventor of an improved plow. Queen Victoria, on seeing the new invention, inquired of the farmer how he thought of it, whereupon he replied:— “Well, Your Majesty, I had it in my head for a long time before it would become straight. I saw what was wanted plain enough, but I could not make out how to get at it. So at last I made it a matter of prayer; and one morning the whole thing came into my mind like a flash.” “Why, Mr. Smith,” interrupted his royal listener, “do you pray about your plow?” “Why, Your Majesty, why shouldn’t I? My Father in heaven, he knew I was in trouble about it, and why shouldn’t I go and tell him? I mind of one of my boys when he was a teeny little mite. I bought him a whip, and very pleased he was with it. Well, he came to me one day, crying as if his little heart would break. He’d broken the whip, and he brought it to me. So I took him on my knee, and I wiped his tears, and I kissed him and comforted him. ‘Now, don’t you cry, my boy,’ says I, ‘I’ll mend the whip, I will, so that it’ll crack as loud as ever.’ Well, now, don’t you think our Father in heaven cares as much for me as I for my boy? My plow didn’t much matter to him, but I know quite well my trouble did.”—