Character Needed - Bible Sketches 11

CHARACTER NEEDED – BIBLE SKETCHES

Character Needed, by Robert Allen, published by Regular Baptist Press, includes 33 skits illustrating the truths of each of the verses in Proverbs 15.  These Character Needed – Bible Sketches are designed to accompany those contemporary plays, illustrating the same character traits by use of a Bible story.  

CHARACTER NEEDED

TOO TIRED TO PRAY

Proverbs 15:11 

Luke 18:1-8

Character Trait: Trust

Cast of Characters

                                    Mother/Narrator

                                    Tammy

                                    Widow

                                    Daughter

                                    Son

                                    Judge

MOTHER:                  All right Tammy.  It’s bedtime.  Let’s say our prayers and get into bed.

TAMMY:                    Do I have to go to bed?

MOTHER:                  You certainly do.  You need to get your rest so you won’t be too tired to get up and play tomorrow.

TAMMY:                    I have to go to bed because I’m tired?

MOTHER:                  That’s right.

TAMMY:                    Mom?

MOTHER:                  What do you want, Tammy?

TAMMY:                    I’m too tired to pray.

MOTHER:                  Too tired to pray?  Jesus told a story about not getting too tired to pray.  Are you too tired to listen to a story?

TAMMY:                    Nope!

MOTHER:                  All right.  Lay your head down on your pillow, and I’ll tell you the story.  Many years ago in a far away land there was a city.  It was a big city, and some of the people who lived there were very wicked.  But in this city there also lived a very good woman who was a widow.  That means that her husband had died, and she was trying her bets to raise her children without a father.

WIDOW:                    Now children, eat your oatmeal.

DAUGHTER:             But I’m tired of oatmeal.

SON:                           And I want some milk and raisins in it.

WIDOW:                    I’m sorry ,but we don’t have enough money for milk and raisins.  You’ll have to eat your oatmeal the way it is.

DAUGHTER:             Why are we so poor, Mommy?

WIDOW:                    Well, when your father died he owed some money to one of the rich men in town.  And since I didn’t have the money to pay him right away, he took away all our land.

SON:                           But isn’t our land worth more than the money we owed him?

WIDOW:                    Yes.  But I haven’t been able to get the judge to make him give me the land back.  If he would give back the land and give me a year to pay the debt, I could make enough money to pay him back.

DAUGHTER:             What a mean old judge!

WIDOW:                    Well, he doesn’t seem to be too interested in helping people, that’s for sure.  Everyone says that he doesn’t even fear God, so I guess I can’t be too surprised that he doesn’t listen to me.  But I’m not going to give up yet.  I’m going to go back and talk to him again today.

MOTHER:                  That morning after breakfast the widow set off down the road to where the judge lived.  He was just coming out to sit on the bench where he judged the people.

WIDOW:                    Oh sir.  A rich man has taken away all my property because I can’t pay my dead husband’s debts.  Please listen to my case and help me.

JUDGE:                      Are you here again?  I told you I’m not going to help you.  So just get out of here.

MOTHER:                  Sadly the widow turned to go.  Slowly she walked home.  She knew she was going to have to tell the children that the unjust judge had refused again to help her.  And there was only oatmeal left in the house.  Oatmeal for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch, oatmeal for dinner.

DAUGHTER:             I’m tired of oatmeal.

WIDOW:                    I know.  But I am going to go back tomorrow and ask him again.

MOTHER:                  And that’s what she did.  The next morning when the judge came out to sit on his bench, there was the widow.

WIDOW:                    Oh, sir.  A rich man has taken away all my property because…

JUDGE:                      I know, because you can’t pay your dead husband’s debts.  And you want me to help you.  But I said no.  I won’t help you.  Now go on home and leave me alone.

MOTHER:                  Well, the widow turned to go home.  But at least the judge had remembered her.  The next morning, she set off after breakfast and was standing there when the judge came out.  She opened her mouth to ask for help, but the judge didn’t even let her say anything.

JUDGE:                      I know!  I know!  A rich man has taken away all of your property because you can’t pay your dead husband’s debts.  And you want me to help you.  No!  No!  No!  No!  No!  I told you I won’t help.

MOTHER:                  So the widow turned and went home.  But do you know where she was the next morning?  That’s right.  She was standing out in front of the judge’s home waiting for him to come out to work.  But this morning he didn’t even come out.  He just stuck his head out the door and yelled.

JUDGE:                      No!

MOTHER:                  The next morning the widow was just about to give up.  She didn’t think the judge would ever help her, so why should she go back there another day?  But that morning there wasn’t even oatmeal left, and the children had to go off to school without breakfast.

DAUGHTER:             I’m hungry, Mommy.

SON:                           So am I.

WIDOW:                    I know, and I’m going back to see that old judge one more time.

MOTHER:                  There she was when the judge got ready to go out to his bench.  He stuck his head out the door and she waited for him to yell.  Then he stepped outside and she waited for him to tell her to go home.  Then he walked over and sat down on his judge’s bench with a huge sigh.

JUDGE:                      Woman, I am tired of you coming here to ask me for help.  You know I don’t fear God and I’m not really concerned about your problem at all.  But I am weary of seeing you out here every morning.  I’ve decided that the only way to get rid of you is to help you.  So I’ve told the rich man to give your property back.  And he has to pay you rent for the time he kept it.  And the rent is more than enough to pay your husband’s debts, so here in the money the rich man owes you.  I hope you are satisfied.

MOTHER:                  You should have seen the party they had in the widow’s house that night.  And they did not eat oatmeal, I assure you.  Jesus told that story to teach us that if the unjust judge was willing to do what the widow asked just because he got tired of her asking, then how much more will God answer our prayers if we just do not get tired of praying.  So, now, are you ready to pray, Tammy?  Tammy?  She’s already asleep.