To Believe God Is Good

An old Hasidic story describes a poor farmer who makes a long journey to market with his produce. The day proved longer than expected, and the farmer is forced to spend the night alongside the road as he makes his way home. As he sets up camp, the farmer realizes he has lost his prayer book. He is distressed, as he never went to bed without saying his prayers. So this is the prayer he made:

“Lord, I have been so foolish. I have lost my prayer book and my memory is so bad that I cannot recite a single, proper prayer without it. So, I’m going to say the alphabet slowly and let you – the Knower of All – put the words together as you think best.” When he finished, the Lord said to his angels, “Of all the prayers I have heard today, this was the best…