One late winter day many years ago, Mac and Meg and their cousins Roy and Ila were in high school. An hour after school began, an announcement came over the loud speaker. It announced that a very severe blizzard was sweeping in and that the school was closing! All students were told they needed to make their way home as quickly as possible. This blizzard was not predicted, so it was totally unexpected. In a short time, Mac and Meg, Roy and Ila found themselves on the street in front of the school with no way of contacting anyone to get a ride the 12 miles to the village where they lived. A bus had brought them in that morning, but no bus was scheduled to return to the village for several hours. They decided to just start walking in the hopes that someone would come along and pick them up. So that’s what they did.
After several blocks, they came to the bridge over the falls. At this point Meg said, “Uncle Hudson lives nearby.” (His house was right on the cliff overlooking the harbor.) “We should go and stay with him and Aunt Fanny.”
The others said they wanted to keep walking, but Meg decided to go to her uncle’s house. Mac and Roy and Ila continued on over the bridge, and Meg turned and walked down the long hill to the entrance to her uncle’s fish yards. This hill was on a busy city street, but not one vehicle passed her on the way. The whole city was shutting down, because all were seeking shelter.
No sooner had Meg stepped off the street at the bottom of the hill when a huge animal appeared out of the swirling snow and took hold of her wrist! Meg was startled, but she quickly realized that this was her uncle’s St. Bernard dog, Bruno. Meg knew that in the far-off country of Switzerland, these dogs were trained to rescue people buried in avalanches and lost in the snow. Bruno had sensed her coming in the storm and came to help her reach her uncle’s house in safety. He held her wrist gently in his mouth all the way up the long driveway and up onto the porch, right to the front door! Uncle Hudson and Aunt Fanny were surprised and welcomed Meg in, glad that she had come to stay with them. However, they were concerned for the others, who eventually made their way back to the village safely.
Dear boys and girls, this true story reminds me of the One who came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). Our Savior, the Lord Jesus, is the Good Shepherd. He came into this world to die on that awful cross so that He could rescue us from our sins and the storm of judgment that is coming upon this world. Do you know that He says, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37))? Meg found welcome and refuge from the blizzard in her uncle and aunt’s house. The Bible tells us that God is “a refuge from the storm” (Isaiah 25:44For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isaiah 25:4)). The Lord Jesus wants to forgive your sins so He can welcome you to the safety of His Father’s house in heaven. Won’t you trust Him as your Savior today?