Hannah and the Lion's Cave

This story comes from a friend of ours and is a combination of two stories from the Bible, Hannah and her prayer for a child and Daniel and the lion's den.

A Maasai woman in a boma in the Simanjiro area had been pregnant several times.  She carried the fetuses to full term but all were still born.  Maasai culture would suggest that this woman had upset her ancestors, had been given the "evil eye" someone, or even an enemy had cursed her so that she could not have any children.  But she was a Christian.  She could not explained her situation or circumstances, but she did trust God in all of this sorrow, disappointment, and shame.  In this culture, if a woman cannot have children, it is a major shame and grounds for divorce and securing another wife "who can give children".

She then found out she was pregnant again. She prayed about this new situation and then decided to leave her boma and go into the bush. She would take her chances there.  She felt like if she could not have another child, she wanted to die also.

She traveled very far and found a cave in a small hill near a water source.  She set up house so to speak to live her time out in the bush and hopefully return to her boma with her new and healthy child.  It became night and she went to sleep.  During the night, she woke up to a stirring noise in the cave.  It was a pride of lions!  She was their home invader.  But the lions did not bother her.

In the morning, the pride left.  She discovered that there was an entrance and a separate exit to this cave.  She was beside herself and did not know what to do -- should she move but she would not have access to water?  Should she stay and hope the pride would not return?  She chose the latter option. But the pride returned with a kill.  They set it down in the cave a backed away from it.  The woman was hungry and approached the kill to cut off a small piece of meat to cook.  She took her chances with the pride as her hunger overcame her fear of the pride.  She cut a piece of meat off the kill and retreated to her side of the cave.  The pride did not bother her at all.  She ate the meal, grateful that she was still alive.

This scenario continued for several months - the pride bringing a kill to the cave and the woman being able to eat some of it.  The woman continued in her pregnancy to full term and self-delivered a healthy baby!  She praised God and made preparations to return to her boma.

As she began her journey, she noticed that the pride of lions accompanied her, seeming to protect her from other predators and bringing food at other times.

She made it back to her boma and began to relate her story to the rest of her family.  The family panicked when the saw the lion pride not too far from their boma!  The warriors grabbed their weapons and prepared to protect their boma from this major threat!

But the woman stopped them and proceeded to finish her story about the pride's protection and provision for her while in the bush.

Then she asked the head elder of the boma if they could kill a cow and give it to the pride as a thank offering for their actions over the last few months -- the healthy baby and mother giving testimony to their actions.

He agreed and they followed through with the request.
The pride had a grand meal and then left during the night.
They have not been seen since in that area.
That boma is now called The Lion Boma.
It is a testimony to God's miraculous provision and protection through a unique means!


How great is our God!!