You Shall Receive

You’d think a man almost seventy years old would quit pestering God to give him a Harley-Davidson, but I haven’t. I give up occasionally and ask for a motor scooter instead, but as soon I see a Harley “hog” and hear that deep-throated, guts and glory macho roar, I forget the scooter and start praying again for the Harley … along with a bass boat, split-bamboo fly rod, hemi-6.2 liter engine for my pickup, and a Browning over-under shotgun. After all, in the book of Matthew, the Lord promises “…all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer … you shall receive.”

Recently, I read a story that convinced me that if I keep begging, the Big Guy in the sky will relent. The story related how a little girl asked God for a cat, and got it … in a most unusual way. A preacher walked out in his backyard, and overwhelmed by the day’s glorious beauty, quoted poet Edna St. Vincent Millay: “Lord, I do fear Thou’st made the world too beautiful….” Instead of a deep-voiced answer thanking him, he heard a high-pitched meow. Looking up in a tree, he saw a kitten, paralyzed in fear, far out on a spindly limb. A corpulent cleric, the preacher decided against climbing the small tree, so he used a rope to connect the tree trunk to his car’s rear bumper, with intentions of bending the tree earthward just enough to rescue the terrified creature.

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Estimating that the cat was almost within reach, he eased forward a bit more, when suddenly he heard a loud snap. The rope broke, and the cat was catapulted into the wild blue yonder. Distraught, the preacher prayed, “Father, forgive me for harming an innocent animal. I commit him to Your kind and loving care.” At the grocery store a few days later, he met a member of his congregation, and while exchanging pleasantries, noticed several cans of cat food in her shopping cart. Surprised, he said, “You once told me that you hate cats. Have you had a change of heart and now accept these lovable creatures that God made for us to enjoy?” “Preacher, you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you,” she answered. “For quite a while, my daughter has asked me to let her have a cat, and wearying of her repeated requests, I finally said, ‘If the Lord chooses to give you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.’ “Here is the unbelievable part. After I said that, I watched my daughter walk out into the backyard, kneel, clasp her hands together, look skyward, and ask God for a cat. Instantly, He answered her prayer. A kitten floated down from heaven and landed right in front of her. I had to keep my word, so that’s why I’m buying cat food.” Miracles do happen, so I’ll just keep praying for a Harley. I’m confident the Lord will hear me, as He did the little girl, and keep His promise: “You shall receive.”