Hilda the hippo lived in a zoo in London, England. Hippos are huge animals, one of the largest in the wild, including Hilda. She weighed 6,000 pounds! You sure wouldn’t want her to step on your toes!
Hippos are a semi-aquatic animal, which means they spend part of their lives in water and the other part on land. In the daytime they escape from the heat by floating in rivers or lakes. In the evenings and nights, they wander inland where they graze on grasses. They eat a whopping 150 pounds of food a day, which is one reason why they grow so big!
Hilda was content in the zoo where she had a nice pond in which to swim. The zookeepers made sure she had plenty of food and was well-cared for. One day the zookeepers decided that Hilda needed to spend time with other hippos and perhaps start a family. So they loaded her onto a large trailer that was hooked up to a truck to transport her to a Nature Preserve where other hippos lived.
They were driving down a four-lane highway when Hilda suddenly decided to turn around in the narrow trailer. She had to rear up on her hind legs to turn around. When she did this, her 6000-pound body hit the side of the trailer. This sudden movement caused the trailer to swing abruptly from side to side. The driver tried to correct the truck by turning the steering wheel the opposite direction of the zigzagging trailer, but the trailer went out of control and jackknifed on the highway. Unfortunately, when they finally skidded to a stop, the back door of the trailer swung open and out hurried Hilda, eager to be away from the wreckage.
Down the highway Hilda walked, and drivers had to swerve to avoid hitting her. She was bigger than many cars. Hilda knew what she was looking for. She wandered to a grassy area next to the road and began chomping on the tall grass.
Hippos can be quite dangerous. In Africa, they cause more human deaths than any other type of animal. However, poor Hilda was just happy to find some grass and to be left alone. A police officer, who had arrived, called her “docile,” meaning she wasn’t causing trouble for anyone.
For two hours Hilda enjoyed her freedom at the side of the road. Many people passing by had to look twice when they saw the giant animal contentedly munching away at the grass along the road’s edge.
About this time, the authorities from the zoo were ready to carry out a plan to recapture Hilda. Another larger truck arrived, as well as a tractor that had a forklift on one end. Also, one of the zookeepers brought a rifle loaded with a tranquilizer dart.
The zookeeper aimed the rifle and pulled the trigger. The dart went flying through the air, and “ZAP!” it hit the thick skin of the hippo. The needle went into the animal, delivering a large dose of the tranquilizer. A few minutes later the powerful drug did its work, and Hilda’s large legs began to buckle; then she collapsed on her side. The drug had completely knocked her out.
Quickly, the workers drove the truck and the tractor up to Hilda. They knew they had only a short time to work before the drug wore off. With great difficulty, they were able to get the forklift under the hippo. But then suddenly something very sad happened. The stress of the tranquilizer and being roughly handled as she was moved was too much for the giant animal. Her heart stopped, and she died. Her death took them by surprise, because they thought their plan would work. They truly had wanted to help Hilda and not harm her in the process.
The best laid plans made by men can go astray, but not God’s plans. Do you know that God has a plan to rescue you? His plan was made before He created the world. He made this plan because He knew that you would need to be rescued from your sins and all their consequences.
Because He is God, He knew this plan would work beyond any shadow of doubt and would never, never fail. So He sent His Son into this world. The Lord Jesus loves you and me so much that He went all the way to Calvary’s cross where He gave His life as a ransom for sinners. After He died, He was buried and then rose again. He showed Himself alive for 40 days before being taken up to heaven as His disciples watched. Because He lived, died and rose again, those who believe on Him need never be afraid of death. Because He lives, they shall also live in heaven with Him.
The good news now is that anyone who believes on the name of the Lord Jesus shall receive the gift of eternal life. “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:1515That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)).
Things didn’t work out the way those workers planned with Hilda. However, God’s plan of salvation will never fail for those who believe! Will you believe on the Lord Jesus who loves you so much and be saved from the punishment for your sins?
ML-11/08/2015