Scary Bike Ride

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 5.

By Andrew McChesney

M

om sent Tich on a very important errand. She needed him to go to the store. She also wanted him to stop by his aunt’s house.

The store and his aunt’s house weren’t just up the street. Tich lived deep in the bush of northern Zambia. To complete the errand, he would have to ride his bike into town. It was a long ride. It would take an hour to follow the road there and another hour to follow the road back home.

It was late afternoon when Mom asked Tich to go. Tich wanted to get back home before dark, when lions and elephants and snakes came out of the bush.

He hopped on his bike and prayed, “Dear God, I’m going to town. May You guide and protect me and keep me safe from dangerous animals. You have protected me before. I know You are able to do it again. Amen.”

Then he rode the bike to town. As he pedaled, he sang his favorites hymns. He especially liked the hymn, “He Leadeth Me,” and he sang it with gusto.

When he reached the town, he went straight to the store and bought sugar, salt, cooking oil, and laundry detergent.

Then he went to his aunt’s house to pick up a bag of clothing for Mom.

The errand took longer than he had expected. The sun was setting as he headed back home. Long shadows stretched across the ground. It was getting dark.

Tich felt uneasy. He would not be able to see much in the dark. There were no lights along the road. He had a small flashlight, but it wasn’t bright enough to light the whole road.

Tich pedaled faster. He wanted to get home before it got really, really dark.

Then he saw a shortcut. It was a dirt path cutting through the thick bush. He could take the dirt path and reach home faster.

He turned off the road and onto the
dirt path.

The sun kept going down, and the sky got darker and darker. Tich pedaled faster and faster.

Then something very strange happened. No matter how hard Tich pedaled, the bike wouldn’t go any faster. He turned his feet as fast as he could, but the bike only slowed down. He pedaled furiously, and the bike came to a complete stop!

Tich was amazed and confused. He whipped his flashlight out of his pocket to see what was wrong with the bike. The chain was in place. Everything looked fine. He was even more confused.

Then he turned the flashlight toward the dirt path ahead. Suddenly, he jumped. His body began trembling. Ahead, in the dim light, he saw a big snake. It was dark, about 12 feet (4 meters) long, lying across the dirt path. If he had kept riding his bike, he would have hit it.

Tich had prayed before leaving home, and now he prayed again.

“My God, thank You so much for saving my life,” he said. “Now I pray that this snake leaves so I can go home. Amen.”

When he opened his eyes, the snake began to move. Then it disappeared into the darkness. Tich got back on the bike. The pedals worked perfectly. He rode quickly home.

There, he excitedly told Mom about what had happened.

“I didn’t understand why the bike wasn’t moving,” he said. “But now I see. God held the bike to save me from that dangerous snake. In the thick bush, where there are no homes, no one could have helped me. But God saved my life.”

Mom was so happy that God had protected her son, and she thanked Him for His loving care. But from that day, she stopped sending Tich to town in the afternoon. Now, she only sends him in the morning so he has plenty of time to get home before dark.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help children know about the God who protects people from snakes and other dangerous animals. Many children in Zambia, where Tich lives, and in other countries in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division will receive their very own Adventurer’s Bible through your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 27.