Tony lived in the middle of a big city. His family was poor, but they were a happy family. They were happy because each one in the family, including Tony, had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. Even though Tony was only eight years old, he knew he was a sinner and had asked the Lord Jesus to wash away his sins. Because he believed what the Bible says, he knew for sure that he would be in heaven with the Lord Jesus someday. Anyone who knows this is happy.

One day Tony's grandfather was visiting them and he gave Tony a silver dollar. Tony had never had a silver dollar before. He was so pleased with it that he kept looking at it, turning it over and over. He would put it in his pocket and then take it out to look at it again. How shiny and bright it was. He thought of many things he could buy with it.

Later that afternoon Tony reached into his pocket to take out his silver dollar again. It wasn't there! Where did it go? He turned all four of his pockets inside out, but it wasn't in any of them. He looked everywhere he remembered being that day, starting in the house. He even checked down in the basement. Then he ran outside where he had been playing games on the sidewalk, but he couldn't find it. Tony felt so badly he began to cry.

When he still had not found it by evening, he was so "down in the dumps" he just went to bed. He was so unhappy that he didn't even take the time to pray.

As he tried to go to sleep, a small, still voice seemed to say, "Tony, you didn't pray." He would turn over and try to forget about it, but pretty soon the same small, still voice would remind him again.

Tony tossed and turned for quite a while. Each time he was about to fall asleep, he would hear the voice in his mind saying, "But, Tony, you haven't prayed."

Finally, he sat up in bed and said to himself, "Maybe I had better pray after all."

Tony climbed out of bed and knelt down on the floor beside his bed. "Ouch! What's that?" His knee was pressing down on something cold and hard.

It was his silver dollar!

Do you think that the Lord Jesus in heaven really listens to children's prayers? Yes, He certainly does, and don't let anyone try to tell you that He doesn't. Don't be afraid or get discouraged when things seem to be going all wrong. Talk to the Lord Jesus about it, and ask Him for help. Tony would have found his silver dollar much sooner if he had knelt down to pray when he first went to bed. We will get help and guidance from the Lord much sooner if we take our trouble to Him right away.

"Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3.

Copied with permission from Messages of God's Love published by Bible Truth Publishers, Addison, IL  60101.

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