THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"
"Don't cry 'wolf',
shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill……….you know the story.
I am beginning to think we are the absolute opposite. We are surrounded by wolves, bears, and lions, yet not a peep! As they accumulate we adapt. We would rather live with them in peace than take them on in conflict. Sure, they take a toll, and that toll is mounting every day, but we are used to it, and we have grown accustomed. I certainly don’t think “crying wolf”, when there is no wolf is our problem. Sometimes we petition God, or inform God, or make requests to God, or complain to God, but how often do we cry wolf? How dangerous does it have to be before we cry out?
There are basically two reasons we don’t cry out. One is that there is not immediate danger, or secondly that we do not see the danger. I will leave that for you to decide. We may think we can handle it, or we have it under control, so there is no real threat, or we don’t realize the strength and power of the enemy who lies, destroys, imitates, distorts, and deceives us and others. In other words, he is sneaky and takes little by little until all is lost. David cried out to God in alarm. It says he did it from the ends of the earth. Where is that? The place where a person has exhausted all their resources and everything familiar to him or her. A place where we need help beyond ourselves. A place where we need comfort from the pain, heartbreak, loneliness, abandonment, and failure. Or the place where the enemy is taking over our rightful possession which is our heritage.
The Psalmist said….”Hear my cry (rinnah: a shrill shout usually out of alarm), O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry (qura: accosting a person/to call out to someone) to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy”.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -... more