I pluck an acorn from the greensward, and hold it to my ear, and this is what it says to me:
"By and by birds will come and nest in me. By and by I will furnish shade for the cattle. By and by I will provide warmth for the home in the pleasant fire. By and by I will be shelter from the storm to those who are under the roof. By and by I will be the strong ribs of a great vessel, and the tempest will beat against me in vain, while I carry men across the Atlantic."
I look into the faces of a company of little children, and I hear a whisper, saying:
"By and by I will be a blessing to many. By and by I will give money to the Lord Jesus for His work. By and by I will teach many to love the cause of missions. By and by I will cross the ocean to carry the Gospel to those who have it not. By and by I will turn many from worshiping idols to serve the living God. By and by I shall finish my course, and be among the glorified with my Redeemer."
"You, frail, powerless little one?" I ask.
And the little child makes answer: "Yes; Christ and I."
"Thank God for bairns' prayers!" wrote James Chalmers, from New Guinea; "I like best the prayers of children."
Children, even very little children, are a greater factor in missionary work than we realize. What they actually accomplish is by no means inconsiderable, and far greater than we give them credit for. If their efforts should suddenly cease, many a missionary wheel would stop revolving. Since the day when the Lord Jesus used a little lad's five loaves and two small fishes to feed the hungry multitude, He has been using children's gifts to bless the world. The figures are not at hand to show the amount given to missions by the children of Christendom, but it is undoubtedly a vast sum. In proportion to their income, children are the largest givers in the world. Nor are their prayers to be despised. Few among older Christians pray with the simple faith and loving confidence of a little child. If only the curtain were drawn aside, we should probably find that many of the blessings granted to the cause of missions have been given in answer to the prayers of Christ's own little ones.—Belle M. Brain.
