It was early evening with some daylight still left to enjoy. Mr. Phillips told his three children to pile into the motorboat he had built, and they would go out for a ride on the lake right behind their house.
Johnny, Linda and Matthew were excited as their dad started the motor. Since it was a small boat, it didn’t go very fast, so Mr. Phillips gave it some gas, and off they went for a fun cruise around the lake. But good times always come to an end, and soon it was time to go home.
Mr. Phillips tried to turn the boat around to head back to shore, but it didn’t make the turn . . . it tipped and started filling with water. Then the boat quickly capsized, and all four riders were thrown into deep water. They were 150 yards from shore, and neither Linda nor Matthew knew how to swim! All four of them hung on to the overturned boat, but it was so low in the water that they kept slipping off. It was a terribly frightening situation for all of them.
Have you ever been in a frightening situation where you had no one to turn to for help? That can be very scary when you can’t see any way out of the trouble. But if you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, He is always with you to help in any crisis. He has given us many promises in His Word, the Bible: “Lo, I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:2020Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20)); “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)); “call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” (Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15)). A simple, quick prayer to Him will bring an answer. We don’t know if any of the Phillips family prayed for help, but help did come.
Dutchess, the family’s three-year-old German shepherd, had been lying in the backyard near the shore. Hearing the frantic screams coming from the lake, the dog knew her owners were in trouble. She raced into the water and swam steadily and powerfully toward the overturned boat.
Mr. Phillips happened to look out over the water, and just then he saw Dutchess swimming toward them. He said later that he had never seen a dog swim so fast. She swam right up beside Mr. Phillips as though she were offering help.
Since Linda couldn’t swim, Mr. Phillips told her to grab Dutchess’s collar and hang on. Dutchess seemed to know exactly what to do. She turned and swam for shore, towing ten-year-old Linda behind her. After Linda was safely on shore, the brave, strong dog turned and started swimming back to the boat.
By then a neighbor on the other side of the lake saw that the Phillips family was in danger and headed out with his rowboat. By the time Dutchess reached the overturned boat again, the neighbor had pulled the two boys and Mr. Phillips safely into his rowboat. Dutchess turned and headed back home.
Mr. Phillips is certain that if the neighbor hadn’t showed up with his rowboat, Dutchess wouldn’t have given up until she had towed all of the family safely to shore. What a faithful and loyal dog! She was later named “Dog Hero of the Year” by one of the pet food companies.
We have a faithful, loving God who sees every sinner and their need of rescue from their sins. He sent His own beloved Son, Christ Jesus, into the world for the very purpose of saving sinners. To fulfill that purpose as Saviour, He had to die on a cross, bearing God’s wrath against sin in the place of any sinner who will come to Him for forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness can be yours if you will simply confess to Him that you are a sinner and believe that His Son Jesus paid the price for your sins. The Bible says, “What must I do to be saved? . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-3130And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:30‑31)).
Dutchess was probably not going to give up until every family member was saved, and God is not willing to give up on saving you either. “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:99The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)). He is offering you salvation once more as you read this story. Linda did not have to be told twice to hang on to Dutchess’s collar. What about you? Will you accept Jesus as your very own Saviour right now? There might not be another opportunity.
ML-07/29/2007