It was a pleasant, sunny day in August in a coastal village in New Brunswick, Canada. Damian and Danny, both 16, decided to go for a walk on one of the woodland trails near the village. The thought of danger on that trail never crossed their minds, but within minutes they found themselves in an unusual and terrifying three-hour ordeal!
Life is often like that, isn’t it? Things seem to be going quite smoothly, but then suddenly, without warning, there is a serious accident or disease which changes everything. God’s Word, the holy Bible, says in Proverbs 27:11Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Proverbs 27:1), “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
Very soon Danny and Damian saw an osprey nest in a tree in a blueberry field and stopped on the trail to look at it. They became aware that everything was strangely quiet—too quiet. When they looked around, there, about 30 feet behind them, was a large, black bear!
It gave the boys quite a start, but they weren’t too afraid because they had read that black bears were shy and passive. They began to slowly walk away.
Suddenly the bear charged them!
The boys knew there was no chance of outrunning the bear, and due to a recent forest fire there were no trees to climb. They hit the dirt and played dead, tucking in their arms and legs. They desperately hoped the bear would lose interest in them and go away. However, for some unknown reason, this bear was not reacting like most black bears.
He circled the two boys, sniffed them, reared up, whacked the bushes beside them, and even bit Damian’s shoe. After a while he seemed to lose interest in them, so the terrified boys made a dash for freedom. But this sparked the bear’s interest in them again, and he chased them. The bear was about to overtake them, so they wisely played dead again.
Once more the bear circled them, then reared up on his hind legs. The two friends, frozen with fear, could hear his heavy breathing. Time seemed to stand still, but in reality several hours passed. The bear was in no hurry.
What followed was the worst part of all. The bear sniffed Damian and then Danny. Going back to Damian he pushed his snout in Damian’s ribs and tried to roll him over. Damian braced himself. Back to Danny again. The bear pulled off his boot, licked his leg and heel, and then bit Danny’s heel! After licking Danny’s toes he bit into the big toe! He licked Danny’s elbow next, and then decided to chew on the rubber boot for a while. Then he went back to Damian and bit him in his back parts, then to Danny, biting him in the same place.
Just when the boys thought he was retreating again, the bear decided to circle them another time. He pulled off Danny’s other boot and chewed on it. Finally, the bear retreated.
The two injured boys scrambled to their feet. They figured the bear might chase them again, so they ran as fast as they could to the end of the trail. They ran to the first house they saw and, thankfully, found the front door unlocked and ran right in. The angry bear, close behind, ripped clothes off the clothesline and tore the screen on the neighbor’s back door. But Danny and Damian were safe at last!
Boys and girls, stop and think for a minute. What if you were attacked by a bear but didn’t survive? Every one of us has a soul which will live forever - either in heaven or hell. Where would your soul be? I want to tell you something very special about Danny and Damian. Both boys had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Saviour and knew they could call on Him. While the bear was attacking them they were praying to the Lord, asking for His help. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)). They knew that their prayers were heard and that the Lord helped them to be calm and brave. They also knew that if they had not survived, they would now be with the Lord Jesus in heaven. However, through the Lord’s mercy, they have fully recovered and are very thankful.
You too can have this wonderful assurance by accepting God’s free gift of salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not put it off, for He is coming soon to take His own to heaven to be with Him. Be ready, like Danny and Damian.
ML-02/19/1995