On a summer afternoon, my brother Art and I were sitting in the tent we’d set up in the side yard. We noticed construction workers driving along the side of the road spraying grass seed onto the area where a water line had recently been put in. For some reason, they stopped beside a little patch of tall grass a few feet away from the road, which happened to be along the edge of a plowed field. We heard a noise like a tiny baby goat yelling, and we saw an animal run a short distance along the edge of the field before falling down into the tall grass. Knowing that none of our neighbors in that direction had goats, we wondered what it could be. As we watched, the construction workers stood over the spot, taking pictures with their cell phones. Mom, Art, and I were a little worried about it, but then we realized that it was probably a fawn. We also knew it would be best to leave it alone for its mother to find her baby.
Later that afternoon, we saw a deer walking along the edge of the woods directly across the road from the spot where the fawn lay. We were sure that she would spot the baby where it was, but something scared her before she came to the spot and she ran back to the tree line. After dinner, Dad and Art went over to see if the fawn was still there, and Mom and I followed shortly after. It was the smallest fawn I had even seen, with a tiny head and little legs and hooves that were only about an inch in diameter. A cold rain was starting to fall, and we knew that the baby was too small to be on its own and needed its mother.
We tried to help the little fawn stand, but it was still too weak. We were praying about what we should do. After wondering whether or not to try to move it, we decided to take it across the road and over to the tree line where we knew its mother had gone. Art laid it down in a place near where we had seen the mother enter the woods. It was settled far enough into the grass to protect it, but uncovered enough so that its mother could hopefully find it. We prayed that everything would work out.
The next morning my brother went to check the spot where he had left the fawn. He found lots of deer tracks all around and some small pokes in the dirt where the baby had walked, too. There were also dog tracks, but not as many or as fresh-looking as the deer tracks. We were happy with that report and thanked the Lord for His care for His creatures.
Late that afternoon, Dad called all of us into the kitchen to see something. We had no idea what it would be, but we looked out the window overlooking the open field. The mother deer was nursing her baby in the middle of the field, standing around as if there was nothing to be afraid of and nothing that would harm her nursing baby. They were still there after one of us ran to get the binoculars to see them better!
What a blessing it was to see the mother and fawn together! It was as if God wanted us to know that our prayers for the fawn’s safety had been answered by showing us this scene in a place where nature would not normally put these two creatures during this time. How great is His care and provision for His creatures—animals and people alike! How great is His power over His creation, that all things obey His perfect will! “These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That Thou givest them they gather: Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good” (Psalm 104:27-2827These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. (Psalm 104:27‑28)). “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:1313Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13)).
ML-10/31/2010