After Doug arrived in Canada, his uncle Jim took him on a trip to Jasper National Park. This was a real treat for him, and he was excited. He had heard about this wonderful park and how the Canadian government had set aside a huge area, called a sanctuary, where animals could roam about in complete safety.
Uncle Jim knew one of the game wardens who was happy to take the little group on a tour. Nothing pleased the game warden more than to show off the wonders of the reserve. Then began an exciting time for Doug as the game warden pointed out many things of interest as they went along. They saw black and brown bears, buffalo, beavers, sheep with beautiful curved horns, and goats which roamed high up among the rocky peaks. Then Uncle Jim turned to his game-warden friend and said, “I’m sure Doug would like to see a moose.”
The game warden cupped his hands around his mouth and gave a strange call. After repeating it several times, there was a sound of crackling among the brush, and out into the open dashed a great majestic animal with huge antlers.
“It’s all right,” the warden assured them as he tossed some treats to the animal. “What do you think of our moose?”
Doug turned to his uncle in surprise and exclaimed, “I never saw an animal like that before,” and both men chuckled.
Later on their way home, Uncle Jim talked about what all they had seen. “The moose is the largest of the deer family, and hunters attract them within gunshot range in much the same way as what you saw the game warden do. They imitate the call of a moose so well that one of them is sure to think it’s one of his mates, and he rushes to investigate. However, in the sanctuary the moose are safe.
“You know,” Uncle Jim went on, “the same thing is true for anyone who comes to the Lord Jesus and finds safety in Him. Satan will try to attract them to harm them, but in the Lord Jesus they are safe, because He is much stronger than Satan and He protects them. He is their sanctuary. Remember, Doug, that ‘whoso [puts] his trust in the Lord shall be safe’ (Proverbs 29:2525The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)). ‘Greater is He [the Lord] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world’ (1 John 4:44Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)).”
ML-06/20/1999