Our family was taking a vacation. We all happily squeezed into our family camper, my father, mother, four brothers and I. What interesting sights we saw along the way. Green forests, lakes and rivers, the endless prairies and majestic mountains were beautiful with rich farms tucked away in the valleys. We saw herds of elk and deer, and even a big black bear with a cute, curious little cub. One hot afternoon the family drove into a town near the great Canadian Rockies. After checking at many camping sites we found out that everything was full. But Dad was not discouraged, and said, “Let’s go out by the river to cool off and let the boys go fishing.”
He found a nice grassy spot near the dam. Everyone tumbled out, and the “fishermen” were off. It was peaceful and quiet, but Mother and I did wonder where we would camp that night.
Several hours later the “fishermen” came back. They had not caught any fish, but had an interesting conversation with the dam keeper. He assured Dad that it would be perfectly safe for us to camp right where we were, and nobody would bother us.
My brothers and I played while Mother cooked supper. After eating and cleaning up everyone was ready for bed. It had been a long day, and there were some sleepy yawns as Dad read a few verses from the Bible. Then he prayed and asked the Lord for His care and protection over us as we slept and thanked Him for His mercies and help as we traveled. It wasn’t long before we were all asleep, and all that could be heard were the little crickets singing their nightly tune.
Hours later, Mother suddenly awakened. What was that noise? She lay very quiet, listening. There it was again—men’s voices. What did they want? Suddenly there was beating on the door—bang! crash! “Come on out here!” they yelled. “We’ll take care of you!” with more banging.
The camper door was locked and had a safety chain, but it would not hold for long with all that banging. Dad was out of bed at the first banging and opened the door a crack. There were three angry-looking men with clubs and sticks. They shouted again, “Come out here! We’re gonna take care of you!”
Dad calmly replied, “I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has saved me with His precious blood, and He takes care of me. Now would you please go away and not waken my family.”
There was a surprised silence. Finally one man tipped his hat and turning to leave muttered, “Sorry, reverend.” The other two men followed, and then they were gone.
Mother told us later she had been terribly frightened, but suddenly that verse came to her mind, “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10. She turned to Dad, “Why, here we are safe and sound. Wasn’t this a perfect example of that verse?” Dad agreed, and before going to sleep again they thanked the Lord for His protection and care and that we children had not been wakened.
Do you have somewhere to go when trouble comes, a place that is strong and safe from all danger and harm? The Psalmist could say about God, “Thou art my hiding place.” Psalms 119:114. Our safety is in the Lord, and He promises His care and protection to all those who trust Him by faith. “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.
ML-03/07/1982