by Alice Busch
“There, there now, little one. All is well.” Her grandfather was alive, and he was reaching up to touch her arm. It was too wonderful – she hoped she wasn’t dreaming. She prayed she wasn’t dreaming!
“Grandpapa! I came to be with you. Mama and I were so scared for you.” Looking around, Patrice saw lions clearly walking around free. “But grandpapa! Those lions! They are in there with you!”
“Yes, my Patrice, but they have not harmed me, have they? Did I not tell you and Mama that all would be well?”
Sudden shame filled the little girl as she wept openly, not caring who might hear. “Please forgive me, Grandpapa, for my faith is not strong. I was so scared that the lions would tear you limb from limb.” Patrice hung her head in shame.
“Oh my brave granddaughter. You risked your own life to be with your grandfather in his darkest hour. How can I contend with you? Over your own dread and fear, you sought me and found me amongst the great beasts. I am indeed the proudest grandpapa of all men tonight.”
“But grandpapa, why are you still alive? Are the lions fat with feasting on other prey?”
“No, they were plenty hungry my little one. But an angel was sent to close their mouths that they not harm me. For you see, I am here amongst them and they have not harmed me.”
“Oh, grandpapa! My grandpapa!” was all she could say before the tears flowed again with renewed fervor.
Suddenly, Patrice heard sounds coming. She didn’t have time to explain to her grandfather – she had to run! She silently and quickly ran over behind some stone structures and ducked down behind them. Many feet were coming, running. She nearly collapsed in dread. Then she heard a familiar voice. Yes, the voice of King Darius!
“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
Patrice peeked out from her hiding place and she could see the king looking down into the pit from the same window through which she had been talking to her grandfather.
“Guards! Open the mouth of the lion’s den and lift the Administrator of the Satraps forth! Make haste!”
King Darius walked over to the other opening – the one that had the huge stone rolled over it. The guards removed the stone and let down ropes to bring Daniel back up out of the den. The lions roared fiercely. Patrice snuck over closer to see her grandfather as he was brought up out of the pit. She had never seen such a wondrous sight! Her grandfather was alive and well!
~ ~ ~
Later that morning, Daniel and his granddaughter sat on the stone steps of the palace, looking down at the court as the sun sparkled above the horizon. “You will see what happens to those who fight against the Almighty – those who do not obey His Laws. His Laws are all that keep us from harm. We trust Him to help us keep His Law, and He protected us.”
Patrice had almost fallen asleep on her grandfather’s arm when a commotion roused her from slumber. The commotion rose in volume until she could hear shrieks and screams. She saw soldiers forcing men, women and children down into the pit. She drew back for the horror of it. Even before the people fell all the way to the ground, the lions leaped up and grabbed them. It was over before Patrice could cover her eyes from the horrible sight. She buried her eyes in her grandfather’s robes.
The king ordered the servants to bring a carriage for Daniel and his granddaughter. Patrice could barely walk for need of sleep and weariness of the night. It was almost like a long, dark dream.
Patrice fell into a deep sleep in her grandfather’s arms as the carriage took them home. She woke up the next morning in her own bed chamber, feeling freer than she had ever felt in her young life. She lay in bed for several more moments and said a silent prayer to the Almighty for saving her grandpapa.
~ ~ ~
Fire From Heaven
Alice Busch
“Little sister, do not cry. We will talk to Papa about this. I know it is upsetting, but it is the government and they make the laws.” Shammah said to his twin sister, Norah.
“But Papa told us not to let them tell us how to worship our God. But daily they make it more difficult to worship as our fathers always did.”
The two walked hand in hand through the crowded streets of Samaria. Shammah tried to find words to comfort his twin but he didn’t know what to say or what to do. He took on the role of the older brother, for the men of the family were supposed to lead the women. Only in this case he knew not what to do. He was certain their Papa would give them advice.
~ ~ ~
“Yes, my son, my children,” Father said over dinner that evening, “the government says we are to worship according to the ways of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. But I understand that this Jezebel is from a foreign country, and I fear that she has enticed our king with her beauty and deceived him into worshipping her pagan idols instead of the Law of Almighty God and worship Him as our people always did.”
Mother and Norah sat silently eating throughout the meal, for the women rarely spoke during meals. Mother’s father had been a priest and disappeared a few years ago. Just last year, Shammah had heard her telling her cousin Naboth that she was certain the king had had her father killed during the reign of terror upon the priests of the people.
Then, as King Ahab acquired much land and possessions for himself and his queen, he had demanded that cousin Naboth sell him his beautiful farm. But Naboth refused to sell, because the farm had been in the family for generations and was a treasure to him. The king stomped around like a spoiled child and threatened Naboth, but Naboth said he knew his rights and he was not going to sell his farm.
Weeks later, Naboth was found dead by the river which ran along the north border of his farm. Rumors spread that Queen Jezebel had hired men to kill him but no one would come forth to prove it or to testify for all feared the king and queen.
Father was still talking, “And now, mother, the drought is severe on the land. Because of the lack of rain, our gardens are drying up. It is a sign from the Almighty, I know it is. Our people have refused to obey His commands and to walk in His ways and this drought is the penalty. In God’s mercy, He is trying to discipline our people before it is too late. But daily, the priests of this god Baal, parade around, showing themselves to be important with their great robes of fine silk and beautiful colors. All the people must bow as they walk by.”
“I usually hide in a doorway or an alley when I hear their processions coming, Melea, my husband. I refuse to bow to the ungodly men who masquerade as men of god.” Mother said.
“This is a good thing, my wife. You are brave and a fine example to our children. But what are they supposed to do while in school, when the horns sound and the priests proclaim the time to pray to their gods?”
Norah looked up at her mother, and then to her father and said, “Papa, when I pretend to pray, I do not pray to their gods. I pray to the God of our Fathers.”
“That is what I do also.” Shammah said.
“My children are brave and strong. Your Papa is proud of you both.”
~ ~ ~
Weeks went by, and food was hard to come by. The king and his priests were fat and dressed in finery while the people were skinny and barely able to find food. Then one day mother came into the little house, breathing hard from having run most of the way from the square.
“Father! Children!” she said, “I know not what is happening, but the prophet Elijah has come from a far country, and is gathering all the people to the mount Carmel. Come, we must see what this is about.”
So Melea and his family trudged through many streets until they found a large crowd of people at Mount Carmel. Melea held tightly onto his young son’s hand and mother held tightly onto Norah’s. They kept to the back of the crowd for they k
new already that they were targets since so many people in their own family had been killed by the men who bought their way into power around the king and queen.
“I cannot hear what is transpiring up there. I wish to go closer,” Mother said.
“We cannot risk our lives for the sake of our children,” Father answered. But mother gave him her determined look so he stood tall to see over the heads of those closer to the front. “There! I see Elijah! He is actually here! It is true.”
He and mother looked at each other for several moments and then without a word, they began to weave us through the swarms of people. People were milling around, as if in confusion. There seemed to be no control in the crowd.
The little family found themselves suddenly right at the front of the crowd. Father stopped short, and Shammah looked up at him. Shammah saw a slight smile form on his papa’s face as he looked right at the old prophet. Shammah looked at the man who was now looking at papa, and he could see a look on the old man’s face that comforted him. He didn’t understand what had transpired between the two men, but somehow he knew it was a good thing.
After a while, the priests of Ahab came, with all their pomp and ceremony. They were such a spectacle! It was a parade. Melea and his wife drew back into the edges of the crowd with their children, to hide from the guards around the priests, for they knew that it would only take one small action to put their lives in danger. Too many other family members had suffered loss and death at the hands of these evil people.
The old prophet Elijah raised his arms and the crowd grew silent. Elijah said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is god, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” The prophets of Baal called on his name from morning till noon, saying “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they made. And so it was at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is in on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” A few people in the crowd snickered.
Shammah and Norah grew tired, standing all day in the warm sun. But then the priests of Baal began to bring in the musicians who sang and beat on drums and made a great noise. Norah began to dance to the music but Papa reached down and put his great hand on her shoulder. “You shall not dance to the sounds of the pagan gods, my little daughter.”
Norah said, “But papa, I like the music. It makes me want to dance! And all the women are dancing to the music!” Papa sternly told her to stop. She looked down and cried quietly.
Shammah took his twin sister by the hand and said, “Let’s go closer, so you can see what kind of dancing they do.” He stole a quick look back at his father who gave a slight nod.
~ ~ ~
Norah asked her brother, “Shammah, why is there so much blood? Those men are cutting their own skin!”
“Yes, sister. That is the disgraceful way in which they dance to their gods.”
Norah covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, I see. Their god is a mean god, if he makes them cut themselves to make him happy.” Norah looked at her brother and asked, “Does Papa’s God want him to do that also?”
“No, He surely does not! These men are fooled into thinking they can make their idols bring fire upon their sacrifice by doing all this singing, dancing and cutting themselves.”
“Now I understand why Papa didn’t want me to dance. I can dance at other times, but not toward these idols. Brother, why do they worship these images? The idols cannot sing or talk or dance.”
“I am glad that you now understand, sister. Let us go back to where Papa and Mother are.”
~ ~ ~
Just then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people did as he said. Elijah repaired the altar and had the younger men dig a huge trench around it. He put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did. So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
The priests of Baal laughed scornfully and mocked Elijah. One of them shouted, “Ho, your God is a fish! He will swim through all that water and swallow that great sacrifice!”
Then Elijah said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench! Shammah and Norah stood watching, with their mouths wide open in surprise.
Now when the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they cried out with loud voices, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
So Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!”
~ ~ ~
That evening, mother and papa tucked the children into their beds and stayed with them, answering all their questions about the events of the day. “I will never sing or dance to pagan idols again, Papa!” Norah announced.
“This is a good lesson for you, little one. We have all witnessed great things today.”
“And the great power of God, my Papa!” exclaimed Shammah. “I don’t think those idols could ever have brought down fire from heaven like Elijah’s God did!”
Mother added, in soft tones, “This God is our God also, son. It is time to sleep now, my precious ones. We all have seen the great glory of Almighty God today.”
Just as Mother and Father were leaving the bed chambers, Norah sat straight up in bed and cried out, “What is that great rumbling I hear?”
“Papa,” Mother said, smiling, “I think we are hearing thunder! The rains are coming, for our God has shown mercy on His people this day.”
Father smiled also, and said to the children, “By this time tomorrow the land will drink once again!”
~ ~ ~
Feeding Many
Alice Busch
“Papa! Papa! You will never believe the great thing that happened to me this day!” yelled Uri as he ran into the house.
Persis, Uri’s father, was known for his disbelieving heart. “Yes, what is it this time?”
“My basket of food fed many people, Papa!”
His father laughed scornfully. “How many? Ten?” Persis laughed again.
Just then Mahlah came into the house and heard the conversation. “No, my husband, his basket of loaves and a few fish fed over four thousand people. We witnessed a miracle today!” Mahlah and Uri were all smiles.
“You are a dreamer of dreams. Both of you!” Persis snickered, as he continued with the task on which he was working.
“Then you tell me where all this food came from!” and she proceeded to set the basket on the table, which was full of fish and bread. Father eyed the contents and growled something under his breath.
~ ~ ~
Earlier that day, mother and Uri were on the way to the market square when someone said that the Preacher was near the mount on the west side of town.
Mother had been wanting to hear this man speak for she had heard many great things about him. So she and Uri followed the crowd and found themselves on the grassy knoll, hearing the man, Jesus from Nazareth.
Mahlah and all the adults sat down on the grass to listen. Many people took children to Him and He blessed them. Then He healed many people right then, not like the weeks or months it would take the physicians to heal people! Uri even saw Sauri, the butcher take his young son to the Prophet. His son had never walked since he was born. As soon as the man touched him, his son jumped up and ran around. Sauri and his wife cried for joy.
Uri sat there in the crowd mesmerized by what he was seeing and hearing. Many people asked the Preacher numerous questions. Several people claimed He was a prophet sent from God. But some skeptics amongst the people said that there were no prophets since the days of Malachi.
They asked Him some hard questions, and when the man answered with wisdom, people in the crowd giggled. Once, when the crowd giggled and some laughed, the rabbis who were asking the questions, turned to look at the crowd with angry eyes. Most of the people settled down.
“For a while,” mother told Uri, “it was as if the people were a bunch of children. But once the rabbis glared at them, they became as adults again.”
~ ~ ~
The man, Jesus, spoke until well after sundown. Some of the smaller children fell asleep on their parents’ laps. The evening drew on and the people were becoming hungry.
Then some of Jesus’ disciples drew near Him and said some words to him in whispers that Uri was not able to hear. Soon he heard the prophet ask the throng of people if anyone had any food. Mahlah looked at Uri’s basket of a little bread and two fish. Uri and Mahlah both assumed that many people would have some food to share. She looked at Uri and then up at the prophet. When she looked back at Uri and gave him a slight tilt of her head. He knew what she was saying, without her saying a word.
“Hurry now son.” His mother said.
Uri jumped up and grabbed the basket. He ran through the throng of people and handed the basket right to the man Himself. Uri got to look right into His eyes. They were bold, calm eyes, full of compassion and wisdom.