Memory Verse: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1
Last week we told a story about Jane Austin and her collie dog Lassie. Lassie had gone into the woods to chase rabbits and had gotten her leg caught in a steel trap. She was caught in the trap for two days before Jane found her and set her free. This week let’s finish the story and see how Lassie repays the kindness to Jane.
It is now the following summer and Lassie is three years old. Her leg has completely recovered from the injury of last summer. She still does not seem to have forgotten about it, though, as she stays close to Jane and does not wander off to chase rabbits anymore.
It is a hot summer day on the farm, the kind of day when the sun just beats down and there isn’t any breeze blowing. It is a perfect day to spend playing in the river. But Mother has already said, “Not today, Jane. You’ve still got a cold.”
However, she did tell Jane that she could go for a walk down by the river or in the woods where it was cooler, but she was not to go wading or swimming in the “swimming hole” with the other children.
Jane and Lassie headed down the river to watch her brothers and the neighbor children swimming and playing. The river made a wide turn at this spot, and at one point there was a large area of cool, quiet water. The river itself was wide, deep and fast-moving, but this part had been a safe “swimming hole” for children for many years.
Jane sat watching the activity for a while. Even Lassie went in for a swim. Jane soon found it wasn’t fun just sitting watching. So she decided to follow the path along the river bank. Shaking off the water, Lassie quickly followed Jane as she started down the path. Lassie liked this path, because she always found bushes, rocks and holes to check and sniff out. It was a pretty walk, one they had often taken together. Mother, of course, had told Jane that she must never leave the path, which was high above the river. At this point the river was not safe because of the current.
Looking down at the river, Jane saw some pretty wild flowers growing on the bank near the water. She forgot her mother’s warning about leaving the path and scrambled down the bank to pick the flowers. The bank was slippery and much steeper than Jane realized. She stumbled on a tree root and fell forward, rolling over and over down the bank until she splashed into the river. She was caught by the fast current, and before she could grab hold of anything, she was carried out into the river.
“Help!” she screamed.
Do you think that Jane really needed help, or was she just pretending? No, she wasn’t pretending; she really needed help! She had learned how to swim in quiet water, not in a strong current like this part of the river. As she struggled to swim, she screamed again and again for help!
Have you ever looked at yourself the way God sees you? You really can’t, but if you could, you would see yourself struggling against the current of sin and losing the fight. If you do see yourself like this, what should you do? Should you just try harder to fight against the weight of your sins and hope that everything will turn out all right? No, that is not the answer. The answer is to do just what Jane did—call for help. Tell the Lord Jesus that you know that you are a sinner and you need His help. The Bible says that “He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.” Isaiah 30:19.
God is anxious to save you. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, suffered and died on the cross for sinners who will trust and believe in Him. Don’t try to struggle with your sins. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ was shed so that all those sins could be washed away. He loved us so much that “He laid down His life for us.” 1 John 3:16. He died so that we might live. Call to Him now to save you, and you will find that “The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” Isaiah 59:1.
“Help!” Jane screamed again. But she was too far downstream for her brothers to hear her cries for help. There was no one around but Lassie. Hearing Jane’s screams brought Lassie running back from her exploring. Like a flash she ran down the bank and into the water with a splash and swam as hard as she could for struggling, sputtering Jane.
Now it was Lassie’s turn to help Jane. The brave dog put every ounce of her strength into the race to save Jane. On and on she swam until, finally reaching Jane, she caught her clothes in her teeth. Jane quickly threw her arms around Lassie’s neck and hung on while Lassie struggled back to shore. As they neared the bank Jane caught hold of an overhanging tree stump, which helped them get their footing.
When at last the two soaked friends reached home, Jane told the whole story of her fall into the river and Lassie’s brave rescue. Jane’s parents were so thankful that Lassie had been there and that Jane’s disobeying had not taken her life.
For those of us who have been rescued from our sins, are we thanking and praising the Lord Jesus for saving us? Jane could not stop talking about Lassie and told anyone who would listen about what her beloved Lassie had done. Are we telling our friends how the Lord Jesus loves us and has saved us? Do we see the people around us who are struggling just like we were? They need our loving Saviour. Won’t you tell them about Him?
“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3.
ML-07/31/1983