The Cat And The Bedpost

 One of the greatest challenges Christians face today is keeping their relationship with the Lord Jesus fresh. With the pressures of family, work, and culture, it is easy to allow our relationship to grow stale.

The following story illustrates how the meaning and power of prayer can slowly be lost if we do not maintain a vital and close relationship with the one to whom we are praying. It also illustrates how prayer can become meaningless if we do not seriously believe that prayer is a spiritual weapon and that we are to pray in all kinds of ways on all occasions. George Wood used to tell this story, which sheds some light on the subject.

David Watermulder, a devout Christian with a cat, spent several minutes each day in his bedroom praying and meditating. He read a portion of scripture and a devotional book, followed by a period of silent meditation and prayer. As time went on, his prayers became more prolonged and more intense.

He came to cherish this quiet time in his bedroom, but his cat liked it too. She would cozy up to him, purring loudly, and rub her furry body against him. This interrupted the man’s prayer time, so he put a collar around the cat’s neck and tied her to the bedpost whenever he wanted to be undisturbed while at prayer. This didn’t upset the cat, allowing the man to pray without interruption.

Over the years, the daughter of this devout Christian had noted how much his devotional time had meant to him. When she began establishing some routines and patterns with her family, she decided to do as her father did. Dutifully, she tied her cat to the bedpost and then proceeded to her devotions. But time moved faster in her generation, and she couldn’t spend as much time in prayer as her father did.

The day came when her son grew up, and he wanted to ensure that he preserved some of the family traditions that had meant so much to his mother and grandfather. But the pace of life had quickened all the more, and there was no time for meditation, bible reading, and prayer. However, to carry on with the religious tradition, he tied the family cat to the bedpost daily while dressing.