There suddenly appeared in my life what seemed to be an overwhelming circumstance, one which only persisted the more I prayed that the Lord might remove it from me. As the days passed by, I gradually realized that no matter what the outcome to this perplexity would be, my prayer must now be, "Not my will, Lord, but Thine." My prayer had changed. Before, I had asked the Lord to remove all the distress from me and spare me many unpleasant experiences. Now, all I asked of Him was that He would give me the courage and strength to bear whatever lay ahead. The Lord gave immediate peace of mind; my anxiety completely disappeared. He gave confidence that for whatever lay in store for me, He would give the strength and grace necessary.

Feeling happy again and rather bold, my prayer then to Him as I sat on my patio facing the woods was that He would kindly give me a definite "sign" that He would indeed undertake for me. As Gideon of old, I simply yearned for a tangible sign from the Lord and was fully confident that one would be sent. So, I waited and waited. All of a sudden, out of the woods a catbird flew directly to within six feet of where I sat. He perched on the table near my chair and looked directly into my face for a full five seconds or so before returning directly back to the woods from where he came. This had never happened before, of course, and the only reason it happened now was because the Lord had sent him to be the "sign," I was sure. What a thrill! My heart was so full of rejoicing and praise that the following poem was written immediately, substituting "sparrow" for my friend the catbird.

Oh Lord, I would praise Thee for the death that was Thine;
The burden of sin of the world and of mine
Was laid on Thee there; and Thy blood freely flowed,
To cleanse and redeem me, then made fit for God.

Oh Lord, I would thank Thee for Thy caring for me,
When trials all around me seemed thick as can be;
Thou spoke to me sweetly through Thy precious Word,
Till sun replaced shadows, Thy voice I had heard.

Oh Lord, I would bless Thee for Thy promises rare;
For even a sparrow Thou lovest to care.
For even a sparrow! How tender Thy heart!
How much more Thou lovest Thy child "set apart."

—S.L.M.