THE LITTLE OLD MAN WHO WOULDN'T GIVE UP

Did you ever say to yourself, "I wonder why God doesn't answer my prayers?" Of course you have! All people, little and big have said it at one time or another. Even the twelve men who were helpers of Jesus said it and they got discouraged, too, just like everyone else, so one day they said to Jesus, "Lord teach us how to pray."

I'm sure you know that Jesus was the greatest teacher the world has ever known. He cared for people and loved them so much that when they asked a question He wanted to answer them in a way they would understand. We all know that stories are the best way to teach and that's what Jesus did. He didn't use great long words. He didn't put things in His stories that were tiresome or that people couldn't understand. He told things in such a way that you wouldn't wiggle or squirm or yawn or shuffle your feet or poke the person next to you. No indeed, when Jesus told a story people kept their eyes right on Him. They didn't move. It was as if they were glued right to their seats.

So it was that when one of the apostles asked how they could pray and get God to answer, Jesus replied with a story. The Bible doesn't tell us exactly who the person in the story was or what he looked like. He left that part to the imagination of the apostles . . . so the person could have been a young man or an old man; a short man or a tall man; a fat man or a skinny man. You see I don't know who he was either, or what he looked like so I am going to call him a little old man, and I'm going to tell you the story the way I think Jesus might have told it had it been children He was talking to instead of grown-ups. Here it is. Now REALLY listen!

Once upon a time there was a little old man who was awakened one night by footsteps outside his door.

"Oh goodie," thought the little old man, "I do believe I have company. I've been wishing all day someone would come to see me."

The little old man bounced out of bed, but suddenly the most awful thought came to him . . . "Oh! Oh! I don't have a snitch in the house to eat. My cupboard is bare. Why didn't I bake today? Why didn't I go to the market place? Why did I spend my whole day wishing I had company instead of getting prepared in case someone did come?"

Then a happy thought came to him, "Maybe my company won't be hungry. That will settle everything."

The little old man felt better and hurried to open the door. "It's good, good, good to see you," he said as he kissed his friend on both cheeks. Then he said rather hopefully, "It's so late I don't believe you are hungry."

The company patted his stomach with both hands. "Oh but I AM," he said. "I'm VERY hungry. I've been on a long journey. I've traveled all day and half the night. I'm terribly, terribly hungry . . . in fact, I'm so hungry I really believe I could eat three loaves of bread!"

How the little old man's heart sank. "Three loaves of bread and I don't even have a heel in my breadbox." (Just in case you don't know what a heel of bread is, it's the end piece of bread that's all hard and crusty.)

The little old man didn't want his compay to see what a terrible predicament he was in so he smiled and said, "Of course you are. Now you sit down and put your feet up and rest and I'll see about getting you three loaves of bread."

The little old man hurried outside to do some thinking. He thought and thought, but not a single idea came to him. His breadbox was empty and it being after midnight, the marketplace was closed. He did some more thinking, however, and suddenly a wonderful idea popped into his head. He would go to his friend next door and ask him for some bread. Being his very good friend, of course, he would be only too glad to loan him some.

The little old man felt so encouraged he trotted over to his friend's house and knocked on the door.

"Whoever is there?" called out the friend.

"It is I, your friend next door," answered the little old man, "I have just had company arrive. He is on a long journey. He has traveled all day and half the night. He says he is so hungry he could eat three loaves of bread. Would you please loan me three loaves?"

The friend from within said right off fast, "Trouble me not. The door is shut and my children and I are in bed. I will not get up and get you three loaves of bread."

Oh my! You can just imagine how the little old man's heart sank. He didn't know what to do. His friend was the only hope of feeding his hungry company so he sat right down on the doorstep to think. He thought and thought. He even twiddled his thumbs and thought, because that sometimes helped. He twiddled them first one way and then the other.

Finally he said to himself, "My friend is my only hope. I will have to ask again. I will do some more knocking."

Knock! Knock! Knockety! Knock! Knock! Knock! He knocked until the door rattled. He knocked with one hand and when that got tired he knocked with the other hand."

"Who is there!" called his friend.

"It is I again," said the little old man. "I have just had some company come. He is on a long journey and has traveled all day and half the night. He is SO hungry that he says he could eat three loaves of bread. Will you please loan me that many loaves?"

"Trouble me not," said the friend. "The door is shut and my children and I are in bed. I will not rise and get you three loaves of bread."

My! My! My! The little old man was so discouraged his heart plumped right down in his boots.

Again the little old man plopped down on the doorstep. Whatever would he do? His breadbox was empty. The stores were closed because it was well after midnight, yet his company was hungry and he simply HAD to get him three loaves of bread.

This time the little old man did NOT twiddle his thumbs. He got DETERMINED. He settled his jaw in a tight manner, "I'll knock again and again and again."

He stood up and began knocking with both hands at once. He knocked until the door rattled. He knocked until the house rattled. He knocked until his friend's bed rattled. Knockknockknockknockknock. He could feel the skin coming off his knuckles but he knocked until his knocking rattled his friend right out of bed.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," said his friend from within. "I'm not getting up because you are my friend but because if I don't get what you need you'll rattle my door until the house falls on my head." The little old man was so grateful he hopped right up and down on the doorstep.

It wasn't a second or two before the door opened and his friend thrust him three loaves of bread. And the little man went home to feed his hungry company.

That little old man was not knocking for something foolish or selfish. He was knocking for a friend who had a real need. He was determined to feed his friend so he would be happy and comfortable.

So if you, or someone else, has a real need you do just like the story tells you . . . keep knocking, because in St. Luke, chapter 11, verses 9 and 10 Jesus tells you to do exactly that.