“I can’t tell exactly; because, you know, papa, there is no time-piece in my room.  But I wasn’t long dressing; for I didn’t want to lose a minute of the time I might have out here with you.”

“Did you do nothing but put on your clothes after leaving your bed?” he asked, gravely.

“I washed my hands and face and smoothed my hair.”

“And was that all?”

She glanced up at him in surprise at the deep gravity of his tone; then suddenly comprehending what his questioning meant, hung her head, while her cheek flushed hotly.  “Yes, papa,” she replied, in a low, abashed tone.

“I am very, very sorry to hear it,” he said.  “If my little girl begins the day without a prayer to God for help to do right, without thanking Him for His kind care over her while she slept, she can hardly expect to escape sins and sorrows which will make it anything but a happy day.”

“Papa, I do ’most always say my prayers in the morning and at night; but I didn’t feel like doing it this time.  Do you think people ought to pray when they don’t feel like it?”

“Yes; I think that is the very time when they most need to pray; they need to ask God to take away the hardness of their hearts; the evil in them that is hiding His love and their own needs; so that they have no gratitude to express for all His great goodness and mercy to them, no petitions to offer up for strength to resist temptation and to walk steadily in His ways; no desire to confess their sins and plead for pardon for Jesus’ sake.  Ah! that is certainly the time when we have most urgent need to pray.

“Jesus taught that men (and in the Bible men stand for the whole human race) ‘ought always to pray and not to faint.’  And we are commanded to pray without ceasing.”

“Papa, how can we do that?” she asked.  “You know we have to be doing other things sometimes.”

“It does not mean that we are to be always on our knees,” he said; “but that we are to live so near to God, so loving Him, and so feeling our constant dependence upon Him, that our hearts will be very often going up to His throne in silent petition, praise or confession.

“And if we live in such union with Him we will highly prize the privilege of drawing especially near to Him at certain seasons; we will be glad to be alone with Him often, and will not forget or neglect to retire to our closets night and morning for a little season of close communion with our best and dearest Friend.

“You say you love to be alone with me, your earthly father; I trust the time will come when you will love far better to be alone with your heavenly Father.  I must often be far away from you, but He is ever near; I may be powerless to help you, though close at your side, but He is almighty to save, to provide for, and to defend; and He never turns a deaf ear to the cry of His children.”

“Yes, papa; but oh I wish that you were always near me too,” she said, leaning her cheek affectionately against his arm.  “I am very, very sorry that ever I have been a trouble to you and spoiled your enjoyment of your visits home.”