Have you ever watched a cat stalk a mouse or a bird, or even a butterfly? The cat crouches down close to the ground, never taking its eyes off its victim. It is motionless except for the very end of its tail which is switching back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. It will hold this stance for several seconds or even several minutes... waiting. Then suddenly it will POUNCE, catching its victim in its sharp claws.
Cats don’t usually finish off the mouse or bird right away. Their habit is to play around with it for a while. Sometimes a very quick mouse or chipmunk will make a dash for freedom and get away. These little animals are at home on the ground and know their way around. They dash for their hole or some other safe place. But it is quite different with birds. Birds are not safe on the ground. Their safety is above the ground up in a tree or in the air. When a cat catches a bird and then plays with it, its feathers get all ruffled and sometimes it loses a few in the struggle. So it would need some recovery time before it could fly up and away to safety. Since cats are not noted for walking away from their victims and coming back later, birds don’t usually have a chance to get away.
Some of you boys and girls have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You have admitted to Him that you are a sinner and have trusted Him to wash your sins away in His precious blood. And you know from the Bible that He has, and you now belong to Him. Have you ever thought of yourself as being a little like a bird? Your real home now is in heaven with the Lord Jesus, not down here in this world where sin and Satan have ruined everything.
Think of yourself as being the bird in this story.
Midnight, the cat, had a favorite hiding place in the bushes where he could stretch out in the shade and still keep a watchful eye for anything moving in the yard. Nobody could see him hiding in those bushes, but he was there just the same, always watching. It was his yard. Sometimes when one of the Kelly family walked past his hideout, he would pounce on their feet... just keeping in practice.
One morning a dove was sitting in the hickory tree close to Midnight’s hiding place. Seeing a few seeds in the grass, the dove fluttered down and busily pecked at them.
Midnight, undercover in his hideout just a few feet away, saw the dove land on the grass. He watched it... then crouched low, ready to pounce. Motionless except for that slowly switching tail, he waited for the right moment.
Meanwhile, the dove was so busy enjoying its breakfast that it didn’t suspect the danger lurking in the nearby bushes. Those seeds down in the grass tasted too good to miss even one. Searching around for a few more, the dove’s head was down, and it wasn’t keeping guard... POUNCE! A blur of black fur caught the dove in his claws.
Satan isn’t often out in the open; he usually keeps himself well hidden. From his hiding place he’s always watching and waiting. This world we live in is his yard. If we let our guard down even to peck at a few seeds that attract us, he may catch us and harm us. We are warned, “Watch thou in all things.” 2 Timothy 4:55But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5).
But there’s more to our story.
Mrs. Kelly was getting ready to go to the store. Thunder was rolling in the distance so she decided to put Midnight in the house. She knew where she could probably find him outside and headed for his hideout in the bushes.
But something in the grass made her stop short... feathers! Oh, no! she thought. Midnight’s up to his awful habit again. Mrs. Kelly always felt sorry when Midnight caught chipmunks, but she felt even worse when she would discover he had caught a bird.
Walking on slowly, she found feathers all over the place a sure sign of disaster for some poor bird.
Then she caught sight of Midnight, playing with his still-alive victim. She crept up behind him, quickly scooped him up, and carried him into the house, scolding him for hurting the poor dove.
She hardly dared go look at the bird again, but it certainly was still alive. With one wing spread out, it was terribly frightened and breathing rapidly. Being partway under a bush it had some protection, so she left it alone and went to the store.
An hour later she returned home and tiptoed over to check on the dove. She was surprised to discover it had recovered enough that it had come out from under the bush and was sitting on the step. She left it alone and went inside.
Mrs. Kelly could now watch the dove from the front window and check on its progress. The dove’s wing looked to be okay, and the bird was alert, turning its head at her movement by the window. But she could also see the pink wounded spot on its back where all the feathers had been torn out, probably from Midnight’s claws when he pounced.
A little later she went to the window to check on the dove again, and this time there was another happy surprise the dove was gone. It had recovered enough to fly to the safety of the hickory tree.
Sometimes Satan does catch God’s children off guard, and he pounces, digging in sharp claws. The little dove could not call for help, but those of us who belong to the Lord Jesus may call to Him for help in any trouble. “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.” Psalm 91:1515He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. (Psalm 91:15). Because Mrs. Kelly happened to go outside to find Midnight, the little bird was rescued from the cat. How thankful we can be that our loving Father doesn’t just happen to rescue us; He loves us, knows what has happened, and promises to rescue us from Satan’s sharp claws when we call to Him for help.
Midnight is out there in his hideout right now... waiting.
Little birds, be on guard!
Satan is out there in his hideout right now... waiting.
Children, grown-ups, be on guard!
ML-12/20/1992