Shirley Amendt, whom I met at the Writer to Writer Conference in Hershey this January, is a poet with a great love for children. Her book, Jacob’s Prayer, is a wonderful poem that is illustrated beautifully by Kimberly Merritt.
She tells the story of Jacob, a young boy of ten whose sister, Sarah, only three years old, is very ill. Jacob is certain that if he can tell the Teacher about Sarah that the Teacher will heal her. Jacob convinces his mother that he should be allowed to go see the Teacher with his friend, Thomas, and some of the others from the village. She packs him a lunch of five loaves and two small fish and sends him off to see Jesus. Jacob listens to Jesus tell of His love for us and that we always need to trust in Him. Jacob realizes that Jesus must be hungry and that the food he brought came from God and should be given back to Him, so he offers the food to Jesus. With this small offering, Jesus feeds over five thousand. Jacob can’t find Thomas and is worried about getting home, when Jesus takes his hand and says he’ll bring him there. When they get home, Jacob is happy to find that Sarah is well – she’d regained her health earlier that afternoon about the time Jacob and Jesus had started for home.
I’m sure you see how Shirley has worked the story of the feeding of the five thousand into this simple tale of a boy who loved his sister so much that he’d go to Jesus to ask Him to heal her.
To quote a bit from the ending of the story – you’ll want to get the book and read the story with your children –
Mother told me Sarah been saved from certain death.
“Jacob, my son, we’ll serve Him well, until our final breath.
We must try to do the things, that He would have us do,
Our friends will see that Sarah’s healed, and they can serve Him too.”
“Mother, God will care for us like the flowers in the field.
He will know if we are sick, and make sure that we are healed!
We don’t ever have to worry about an empty dish!
Jesus fed five thousand men with our loaves and fish!
Jesus is God’s own son! Mother, I know it’s true.
We must tell the whole wide world, the things that God can do!”
I know that God can take this small simple book and change many lives for Him. Be sure and get a copy, perhaps two – one to keep and one to give away. You’ll be blessed!
Shirley Arendt gave me a copy of Jacob’s Prayer for my candid review, and kindly autographed it to my grandson, William. I am sure William will love the story of Jacob as much as I do!