As Liz and her younger sister Patti opened the car doors to go shopping, Ace, the family’s big German shepherd, came bounding out the front door. Ace loved to ride in the car, and the girls took him with them whenever they could. He was fun to have along and behaved himself pretty well.
It was a hot day, but Liz and Patti knew they would be in the store only a short time. They thought Ace would be okay in the car by himself while they were shopping, so they let him come along. As they drove off, Ace stuck his head out the window and let the wind blow back his pointed ears, closing his eyes. Liz and Patti laughed at how he looked.
When they parked the car near the store, they made sure to leave the windows partway open so Ace wouldn’t get too hot. However, they were careful not to open them too far, because he might get tired of waiting and jump out.
The air-conditioned store felt so good that the girls stayed longer than they had planned. Suddenly they remembered Ace, quickly paid for their things and ran to the car. To their surprise, there was no excited dog poking his head out the window to greet them. Ace was gone!
Liz and Patti, who now were worried and upset, looked around the parking lot, calling him. He was not anywhere to be found! “Let’s drive around and look for him,” Patti said.
Liz opened the car door and gasped as she felt the hot air in the car. “Poor Ace!” she exclaimed. “He must have gotten so hot that somehow he squeezed out the window!”
Now the girls were worried that Ace was lost, but they knew that the Lord Jesus knew exactly where he was. They prayed, asking Him for help to find their dog. Liz remembered a verse from the Bible: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” (Luke 12:66Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? (Luke 12:6)). So if God cared about sparrows, Liz was sure He was taking care of Ace.
They drove around the block. Just as they pulled up to a red traffic light, they saw Ace across the street. He was standing in the middle of a flower bed in front of a bank, looking dazed and bewildered. Liz slammed on the brakes, and both girls jumped out of the car calling, “ACE! ACE!” at the top of their lungs. Other drivers stared at them curiously. Ace meekly allowed Liz and Patti to lead him back to the car. He was hot and panting, and he lay quietly in the back seat all the way home.
When they got home, Ace drank several large bowls of water. Liz and Patti thanked the Lord Jesus for taking care of Ace and for His love to them.
ML-05/21/2017