ON A FARM in Massachusetts lived Mr. and Mrs. Miles with their three little children and a maid. The farmer passed away and his widow, who was a good Christian woman, decided to give up the farm and move to a small house in the nearby village. So she held an auction sale and the farm and its equipment were sold. On the day of the sale a Christian friend told the lady that he thought she had done wisely in giving up the farm for, he said, it was a half mile away from any other house, and she would be lonely and unprotected there.
“Oh no,” she said, “not unprotected — far from it! You forget that I am now under the special care of God who cares for the widow and the fatherless. I know He will protect us.”
Now we must tell you how God did protect them. The night of the sale there was a good deal of money in the house. The only persons there were the mother, her three little children and the maid.
Some time after going to bed the lady heard a strange and unusual noise at the back of the house. Then she was startled by the barking of a dog in one of the downstairs rooms. This alarmed her still more as they had no dog of their own at the time.
Getting up she hastily dressed and after waking the maid together they went downstairs. At first they looked into the room where they heard the barking. There they saw a huge black dog scratching and barking furiously at the door leading into the kitchen. The brave servant girl opened the door without fear, and in a moment the great dog rushed out. Through that open door the widow could see two men at the kitchen window, which was also open. The men instantly turned to run, and the dog leaped through the window after them. There was a terrible fight out there in the dark, but the men finally got away though followed far off by the faithful dog.
Mrs. Miles and her maid fastened the window and doors and decided to sit up until morning, for of course it would be hard to sleep any more that night. Hardly had they sat down before they heard the noble protector scratching at the back door for admittance. They gladly let him in and when he came up to them wagging his great bushy tail they patted and praised him for his goodness and courage. Then he stretched his great form beside the warm stove and went to sleep. The next morning they gave him a breakfast that any dog would have been glad to get. As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he went to the door and stood there whining until it was opened. Then off he ran in a great hurry and they never saw him again.
They had never seen the dog before, and never knew to whom he belonged. But the grateful Christian widow felt sure that God her Father had sent him for their protection that night. Her faith was stronger than ever that God would fulfill His word but she marveled more than ever at the mysterious workings of His providence.
Say not, my soul, from whence
Can God relieve my care?
Remember that Omnipotence
Has servants everywhere.
ML-10/07/1973