Then it happened… The bicycle began bouncing like a toad in a washing machine! There was a blinding flash of light and a loud noise like a turtle singing! Suddenly the Tower of Babel, and all the people disappeared and….
They were riding the bicycle/time machine full speed down a street that was filled with cats! There were hundreds of cats all around them! Some of the cats were gray, some were white, some were calico, and some were yellow! The Professor said, “Ooops!” He was swerving the bicycle/time machine from side to side trying to avoid all those cats! The cats were meowing and hissing and showing their teeth! They didn’t look one bit friendly! The Professor slammed on the brakes, Shane slid his feet on the ground, and the bicycle/time machine slid to a stop up against a billboard that said, “Praying isn’t allowed!” Shelly said, “That was close! I’m glad we didn’t hurt any of these cats! I wonder why they look so unfriendly. She reached towards a little kitten and said, “Here Kitty, Kitty.” The little kitten came to Shelly and she petted it. Then all the rest of the cats didn’t look so unfriendly. Shane said, “We must have just scared them.” Shelly answered, “Well, I would be scared too, if all of a sudden a bicycle with three people on it just appears out of nowhere and almost runs over everyone!” The Professor got off the bicycle/time machine because he wanted to make friends with the cats too. As he leaned the bicycle/time machine up against the billboard, the billboard began to lean backwards, and the wooden posts began to break! Shane yelled, “Professor, the bicycle is going to make that sign fall if you don’t move it fast!” It was too late! The billboard that said, “Praying isn’t allowed” fell with a crash! It landed on the tail of the biggest orange cat! The Professor said, “Ooops!” The cat yanked his tail out from under the billboard and faced the Professor! The hair on the cat’s back stood up straight and his eyes got red with anger, and he growled at the Professor! The Professor said, “Ooops!” and began to run! The cat ran after him still growling!
Shane and Shelly watched the Professor and the cat disappear in the distance, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Shelly was still holding her kitten. Shane asked, “We need to figure out where we are, and we need to figure out how to help the Professor! I don’t remember any Bible story that had cats in it, do you?” Shelly answered, “No, I don’t remember a story about cats, but maybe we are in a story, and the cats just happen to be here too, but don’t have anything to do with the story.” That made sense, so they took the kitten and began walking, looking for clues about where they were. They passed several more signs and billboards that warned people not to pray. Shelley said, “I think all these signs are clues about a Bible story. Can you think of a Bible story where the people were not allowed to pray?” Shane answered, “I don’t remember for sure, but it seems like there was a story in the Bible about a king who wouldn’t let the people pray to God.” Shelly answered, “I think you are right, the king was going to punish anyone who prayed to God, but I can’t remember what the punishment was.” They couldn’t remember anymore of the story, and they couldn’t remember where it was in the Bible, so they just kept walking and looking. After awhile Shelly said, “It’s really strange, we haven’t seen any people, and I wonder where they are?” Shane said, “Maybe they are all scared of the king and are hiding so they won’t get in trouble.”
While Shane and Shelly were walking and talking, the Professor was having a very different adventure! He ran and ran and ran with the angry cat right behind him! Just when he thought he couldn’t run any further, he saw a door! It wasn’t a door to a house or to a building; it was a door in the side of a hill! The Professor reached the door just a few steps ahead of the cat; he pulled the door open, jumped through it, and slammed the door behind him! Then…. he found he was in total darkness and he was sliding down a steep hill! The Professor said, “Ooops!” as he slid faster and faster! He suddenly landed with a thump on a very narrow ledge! The Professor again said, “Ooops!” A voice from below him said, “Who is up there?” The Professor answered, “I came through the door to escape from a cat, and then I slipped down to this ledge.” The voice said, “Why were you running away from one of those nice little cats?” The Professor said, “This cat was huge, and he was mad because I made a billboard fall on his tail.” The voice answered, “Ha, you think that cat was big? You should see the cats that are down here with me, these are really big cats!”
Just then there was a growl. It didn’t sound like the growl of the angry cat; this growl was deeper and louder. The growl kept getting louder, and then…. it became a roar! It was the roar of a wild lion! The Professor said, “Ooops” The roar was answered by another roar, then another lion roared, and another! The cave vibrated with the roaring of the lions! The voice said, “Now look what you have done, you have got the lions all upset!” The Professor said, “Ooops!” Then the Professor asked who are you, and why aren’t the lions hurting you, are they your pets?” The voice answered, “No, they aren’t my pets; they are wild, killer, lions. My name is Daniel, and I got thrown into this den of lions because I prayed to God after the king told us not to pray to God.” The Professor asked, “Then why haven’t the lions killed you?” Daniel answered, “God is taking care of me. God likes us to pray to him always, and I obey him and pray every day.” The Professor said, “Since the lions are tame, I think I will come down and pet them!” Daniel said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea!” Just then one of the lions roared loudly and the Professor heard him jump toward the ledge, the Professor heard the lion’s claws scratching on the edge of the ledge and felt the lion’s hot breath. Then the lion slipped and fell back down to the floor of the cave! The Professor said, “Ooops! And he turned and began scrambling up to steep slope to try to reach the door. All the lions below began to roar and try to jump up on the ledge! The roars kept getting louder and louder! The Professor grabbed the edge of the door and yanked it open and jumped outside into the sunlight! The Professor slammed the door closed and shut out the sound of the roars! But now there was another sound, there was a growl and the angry cat jumped through the air and landed on the Professor’s head! The Professor screamed, “Ooops!” and ran down the street back toward the bicycle/time machine!
Shelly and Shane were still out walking, they weren’t by the bicycle/time machine! The Professor turned the handle on the side of the bicycle/time machine, shook the mad cat off his head, and began pedaling. The cat began chasing him again. In the distance he saw Shane and Shelly, and the Professor yelled, “Angry Cats, Angry Lions, Ooops!” He stopped the bicycle/time machine beside Shane and Shelly and yelled, “Get on before it’s too late!” Shane and Shelly jumped on the bicycle/time machine. Shelly still had her kitten! They began pedaling and the Professor shifted into high gear!
Then it happened… The bicycle began bouncing like a toad in a washing machine! There was a blinding flash of light and a loud noise like a turtle singing! Suddenly the street filled with cats, and the angry cat disappeared and….
Application:
Read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. It is found in the Bible in Daniel chapter 6.
Daniel got into trouble because he ignored the king’s command and continued to pray to God. The king wanted everyone to pray to him, but Daniel knew that praying to a human is foolish and is actually sinful. We are supposed to pray only to God! Daniel prayed to God three times a day, and he continued to do this no matter what the king said about it.
So, what is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God, using plain ordinary words and telling Him what is on your mind.
The most important prayer is asking Jesus to come into your life. This is done by agreeing with God that you are a sinner and need a savior and asking for forgiveness. Jesus, the Son of God, is that savior, He came to earth as a human as well as still being God and allowed Himself to be killed on the cross to pay for your sins. Three days later He was raised from the dead.
But getting saved is not the only reason to pray. God wants us to talk to him about everything that is going on in our lives. Practice giving thanks for the blessings that God has put into your life, prayer for others who have needs, pray for your own needs and ask for guidance and help in every part of your life.
Never stop praying to God!
Read the following verses in the Bible
I Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17 & 18 says, “Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywh