PEPPER the terrier came trotting down the street in his own quiet way. He was a peaceful little dog, but then he didn’t know Peg, the ren. There she was perched on a barrel in the yard, and whenever she got her bright eyes on the dog, she skipped up to him and in her harsh rough voice shouted in his ear: “Hullo! hullo! hullo! who are you?”
Before the startled terrier could recover from his surprise Peg carried on as if she were in a great rage, and kept shouting at him: “Hi! hi! Go home! go home!”
Poor Pepper was almost frantic with fear, and took off down the street with speed, to Peg’s secret delight.
But all ravens do not dislike dogs. A man was once riding in his carriage and unfortunately one of the wheels ran over the leg of his fine Newfoundland dog. While the crushed foot of the dog was being examined and bound up, a raven who belonged to the hotel, kept hopping around, and showed a great interest in the proceedings. As soon as the dog was tied up in a corner of the stable, the raven not only waited on him in the kindest possible manner, but even went and brought him some bones lest his noble friend should get hungry.
Thus a deep affection sprang up between the two. One night the stable door was left closed. The raven pecked away at the bottom of the door, so that by morning the hole was nearly large enough for the bird to get through to the stable.
This reminds us of the ravens which brought food to the prophet Elijah in the time of his need. Of course it was God who caused them to do so, for He never forgets His own and He was caring for His servant Elijah (1 Kings 17).
Our Lord Jesus Christ comforted his followers with these words: “Consider the ravens; for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls!” Luke 12:2424Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? (Luke 12:24).
Happy are you, dear readers, if you can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psa. 23:11<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1).
ML-10/16/1966