It was a fine spring morning, and I was out enjoying the sunshine, the warm breezes and the newly unfolding leaves. My walk that day brought me to the banks of a quiet stream to watch the yearly migration of herring. Every spring these small fish (about 12-inches long), guided by the perfect instinct given to them by God their Creator, swim from the ocean, upstream, to lay their eggs in shallower water. I sat down and watched these fish gather by the dozens in a small pool before dashing upstream through the rapids on their way to the lake above, which was the end of their journey.
I soon discovered I was not the only one interested in the fish going by. Seeing some movement in the grass and the splashing of water along the stream bank, I moved closer to investigate and saw a curious sight.
A snake had taken hold of a passing fish and was trying to pull it out of the water. How that fish fought! One moment they were in the water, then back on land, moving almost too quickly for my eyes to follow all the action. Back and forth they went as the snake kept a firm hold on the struggling fish.
That snake reminds me of Satan. God’s Word, the Bible, tells us that “your adversary [enemy] the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour [destroy].” 1 Peter 5:8. He is looking for careless ones who are going merrily down the stream of life, too busy to think about God and what He says about their sins. Satan is called “that old serpent,” which points out how dishonest and crafty he is. Once he has a hold on boys and girls and men and women, they can never, by their own strength, break loose from his deadly grasp.
As I watched the battle, the fish grew weaker, and I knew that it had almost no chance of escaping from the teeth of the snake. Feeling sorry for it, I grabbed the tail of the snake. Quickly it let go of the fish and turned to face its own enemy. As the fish flopped back into the water, I dropped the snake, which turned and slithered away in a hurry.
“When we were yet without strength . . . Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came into the world, Satan’s territory, to save us, because we could never save ourselves from such a strong, clever enemy. Christ pitied us in our lost and helpless condition and gave up His life on the cross to take us out of the deadly grasp of our great enemy. Those of us who have put our trust in Him have had our sins forgiven and are safely on our way to heaven to be with Him forever. He is willing to save all who call out for salvation. Why not accept Him as your Saviour today? “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.
ML-10/16/1994