John was nine years old and lived on a cattle ranch in the western part of Texas. There were coyotes on their ranch which sometimes attacked and killed their new calves. To help protect the calves John’s father bought a dog, a greyhound, which not only gave the coyotes a good chase, but it was so fast it could catch most of them.
The greyhound is the fastest of all dogs. Some people train them for racing. John’s father was not interested in racing. He just wanted a dog that was fast enough to catch coyotes and big enough to kill them once they were caught.
They named him Blackie, and he was soon trained to catch coyotes. He loved to chase anything. When he could not find a coyote to chase, he could always find a jackrabbit.
The jackrabbit lives in the plains of western United States. It has big, strong hind legs which help it to run very fast. When chased by Blackie, a jackrabbit would lay back both ears and run for its life... with Blackie not far behind. John noticed that a jackrabbit would never run into a safe place such as a hole, a cave or heavy brush. It depended on its speed to get away from danger. It almost seemed to be too proud of its speed to use a hiding place. Passing by the safety of holes in the ground or a ledge of rock, the jackrabbit depended on its strong hind legs... and always lost to Blackie!
There are those, like the jackrabbit, who think they can outrun sin and Satan. They say, “I’ll take my chances; I’m not afraid.” They depend on themselves and their good deeds to get them through. Their pride keeps them from running to the place of safety in the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not believe that their sins will catch up with them. But God says in the Bible, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7.
One day Blackie surprised a little cottontail rabbit in the brush and started to chase the tiny animal. The cottontail was only about a third the size of a jackrabbit. John saw what was happening and thought to himself, “Too bad, little rabbit. You don’t have a chance!”
Suddenly Blackie’s bark changed. At first John wondered if he were hurt. John worked his way through the brush and found Blackie beside a big rock. The rock was huge and had an overhanging ledge. A hole, only about four inches wide, went into the ground, under the ledge, and right down under the rock. The little cottontail had run into that hole under the huge rock, and it was perfectly safe! This scared little rabbit could not depend on its speed to escape, but it had enough sense to hide in a safe place under a rock.
We hope that you, like the cottontail, will not depend on your own strength and ideas to try to escape your sins, but will find a place of safety. Have you seen your danger without the safety of the Lord Jesus Christ? Run to Christ the Rock for salvation and protection. He is waiting to save you right now with open arms. “A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert [shelter] from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Isaiah 32:2.
“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” Psalms 91:2.
ML-05/27/1984