The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-09
Ghildrfm's Column.
A Beautiful PRAYER.

A few months ago there died in Eng
land very noble Christian woman.
Her name was Frances Ridley Haver-
gal. She had endeared herself to many
thousand people all over the world by
her beautiful songs and other writings.
Some of the hymns you sing were written
by her. She lived very close to Christ,
and seemed to do every thing she did
simply and only for him
In a little book which she wrote, she tells
us about one of her dying mothers words
to her when she was only child. She
said:
Fanny, dear, pray to God to prepare
you for all that he is preparing for you +"
The words were spoken very feebly,
but out of the depths of great heart of
love, and as she went away they seemed
to sound over and over again as if she
could never forget them.
i" l wonder what He is preparing for
me?" she thought 40, l do hope he is
preparing one of the many mansions for
me How l wish to know whether he
is But I don't think he is preparing
me for it, else would not feel naughty
SO often!"
These words from her mothers tremb-
ling lips never ceased to repeat them
selves in her thoughts. Nearly twenty
years afterward, when she was a busy
woman, she wrote:
Il have Just been praying words from
tie girl:
Prepare me for all that Thou art
preparing for me-
Then, thirty years afterward, she said
that the little prayer her own mother
taught her" o Lord, prepare me for all
that Thou art preparing for me"-had
been her life-prayer. Again, only lit
tie while before she died, she said
The words mamma taught me in
1848 have been life-prayer with me-
This preparing goes on; it is as when,
gaining one horizon, another and another
spreads before you"
This one single sentence spoken by her
precious mother just before she went to
God was not only remembered along all
her busy years and amid all her many
sorrows and suferings, but it helped to
shape all her own life. What beauti-
full sentence it was am sure it would
be very sweet prayer for every child
Lord, prepar me for all that Thou art
preparing for me"
You cannot tell what God is preparing
for you. 1t may be deep sorrow. He
was preparing sorrow for this dear child.
In little while her mother lay very still
and cold in death, and the rest of her
years she was motherless You do not
know what grief or loss may be prepar-
ing for you God knows Ask him to
prepare you for it if it is coming
Then you do not know what important
duties he is preparing for you. Perhaps
you have a great mission to fulfil.
Sometimes ships are sent out in war
times with sealed orders which are not to
be opened till they reach certain place.
All of us go out into life with sealed
orders; until we come to the place where,
the duty is to be performed we do not
know what our mission is You may
have to stand in very important place
and do great work. Ask God every
day to prepare you for the work he is
preparing for you
Then there is another way to think of
this prayer Jesus said he was going
to his Fathers house to prepare man
sions for his disciples Think of that
every day-he is preparing mansion
for you. 1t is very beautiful and holy
place. It is where Jesus himself is.
Surely we need great deal of prepare
ton before we shall be ready for that
place. Our prayer every day ought,
then, to be that God would prepare
us for the home that our Master is pre-
pairing for us. Let us ask him to make
as new hearts--hearts to love him and
love one another-to make us like Christ