When In Doubt...Pray!
Mark 11:24
“When In Doubt...Pray!” is episode #392 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written by Doug McIntosh, and originally aired on February 7, 1998.
Summary
Eugene takes Mandy Straussberg on an Imagination Station adventure to show her where prayer has made a difference throughout history.
Plot
Mandy comes into Whit's End a bit depressed. A girl at school has been telling her that God hasn’t answered people’s prayers since Bible times. Eugene decides to take her on an Imagination Station adventure to show her some examples of answered prayer.
Their first stop is Bristol, England in the 19th century, where Reverend George Muller is running an orphanage. The problem is that the orphanage is out of money, not to mention food. There is not a scrap of food for breakfast in the morning, but Reverend Mueller insists that God will provide.
Before they can see how the situation will be resolved, Mandy and Eugene are whisked to a jail in the 1500s. Eugene and Mandy meet with William Tyndale who is in jail for translating the Bible into English. He prays that the Bible will be open to all.
Once again, Eugene and Mandy are whisked to another time and place. This time they are in Ohio in the 1800s. They make their way along a terribly dusty road and learn from a family that there has been a drought for the entire summer. The drought is so bad that it is killing crops. A number of families are going to watch a pastor named Charles Finney pray for rain. Once at the church, the people watch while Pastor Finney gets up to pray. Just as he finishes praying, the clouds begin to gather and burst with rain. Everyone begins to rejoice, but the Imagination Station takes Eugene and Mandy back to the Mueller’s orphanage.
It is morning at the orphanage and there is still nothing to eat. Suddenly, however, a baker comes in with bread and sweet rolls that he had been baking the night before. No sooner has the baker finished talking when a milkman comes in. His wagon has broken down in the street and he doesn’t want the milk to go to waste, so he gives it freely to the orphanage. Their prayers are answered!
Just then, Eugene and Mandy are moved once again to England in the 1500s. Although Mandy is convinced that William Tyndale will be set free, he is burned at the stake. Mandy is upset, thinking that God did not answer his prayer. Eugene explains, however, that William's prayer of a Bible for all to read was answered, even though he didn’t live to see it.
Discussion Questions
- Three different people prayed in the Imagination Station adventure. Which prayers were answered?
- How were George Mueller's and Charles Finney's prayers answered?
- God sometimes answers prayers in ways we don't expect. How did this happen for William Tyndale?
- What are some ways that prayer has been answered in your life?
Cast
Heard in episode
| Role | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Baker | Will Ryan |
| Charles Finney | Tom Williams |
| Eugene Meltsner | Will Ryan |
| Farmer | Corey Burton |
| Franklin | Tom Williams |
| Reverend George Müller | Unknown |
| Mrs. Harris | Unknown |
| Johnny | Unknown |
| Mandy Straussberg | Aria Curzon |
| Mary Müller | Pamela McIntosh |
| Matilda | Unknown |
| Milk truck driver | Corey Burton |
| Prayer service emcee | Corey Burton |
| Prison Warden | Corey Burton |
| William Tyndale | Unknown |
Mentioned in episode
| Character | Mentioned By |
|---|---|
| Connie Kendall | Mandy Straussberg |
| John Whittaker | Eugene Meltsner |
Notes
VERSION DIFFERENCE: [view] The album version of this episode is longer than the radio version. A very interesting cut was made to this one: most of the first Mueller part of the episode was cut out of the broadcast version, everything after Mrs. Muller's offer to show them around. After this, two lines were cut from the next scene on the road. In the second Mueller part, they actually did some very interesting things, inserting some of the cut material from the first scene into this scene to make it make sense.
- Trivia
- This Imagination Station adventure is told in similar format to that of #625: “Something Significant”: part of one story is shown, and then another, and then another, and then the stories are completed and all share a common theme, which is incorporated into what the character learns.
- This episode introduces Mandy Straussberg.
Quotes
Eugene Meltsner: Based on my observational skills, I would have to say that we are... on a road in the middle of nowhere.
Mandy Straussberg: I can see that.
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