A Mouse of A Prayer

The room was deadly quiet. I crawled into bed with heavy eyelids and waited for sleep to arrive. Just when I began to doze off something sinister happened.

I heard a loud scratching noise that sat me straight up in bed faster than a jack in the box. I fumbled around for the light switch and intently listened.

It sounded like a cat scratching. I followed the sound which led to an interior wall by my bathroom. I put my ear to the wall just when the scratching began in earnest. I would describe it as panic scratching, like I want out of here scratching.

I had no doubt I was listening to a frantic mouse trapped inside my wall. There was nothing I could do without tearing my wall apart so I went back to bed.

That night I listened to his frantic scratching for one hour, then two, when hour three approached with the mouse still going strong a brilliant thought came my way. I just finished a study on how great men of God took their every single need to Him in prayer. Now I needed God’s help with this mouse in my house.

As the mouse scratched I prayed.

“Lord you are creator of heaven, earth, and every living creature. At your command all nature obeys. Lord I know you hear my prayer and understand how helpless I am with this trapped mouse. Please Lord command this mouse out of my house.”

After my prayer I didn’t hear the scratching. I walked over to the wall and listened. The scratching had stopped. Filled with joy I triumphantly crawled back into bed. I fluffed my pillows, laid my head down. I just finished thanking God for answering my prayer when the scratching started all over again.

I jumped out of bed hurried over to the wall and this time I placed my hand against the wall where the mouse was scratching and earnestly prayed.

“Father, I need your help, I need to know you hear my prayer and care about the little things in my life. Please Lord send this mouse away.”

I finished my prayer, removed my hand from the wall, and guess what happened?”

Nothing, the mouse kept on with its irritating scratching most of the night.

I went to sleep that night muttering like the Israelites in the wilderness. “Why didn’t you answer my prayer Lord?”

The next morning I woke up still irritated over my prayer life. I opened my bible for morning devotions, a little reluctantly I might add. I told the Lord my morning devotions would have been a lot more joyful if he would have answered my prayer last night.

As I sat there with my bible open on my lap I heard a voice. It wasn’t an audible voice, but it spoke to my soul with a very powerful and distinct message. The voice asked me a question.

“John, when Jesus cursed the fig tree did the disciples see the results immediately?”

I answered, “No Lord, not till the next day.”

The voice said, “So it is with the mouse.”

I had never experienced an encounter like this one. I checked my wall all day long and never heard a scratch. That night I eagerly went to bed. I intently listened for scratching well into the night but heard nothing. The scratching never returned.

What did I learn? Patience, God answers all prayer in His own time even if it’s a mouse of a prayer.