Memory Verse: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
Last week we began the story about Daddy and Peggy who had gotten lost on a trail in the Adirondack Mountains with night coming on. They had suddenly realized that they had taken a wrong turn on the trail, and it was too late to turn back. Let’s pick up on the story at that point.
Daddy and Peggy prayed together that God would help them find the way. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” Psalms 50:15. Then they looked for a stream to follow. Daddy explained that following a stream would prevent them from wandering in circles and would bring them to the bottom of the mountain or to a larger river or lake where help could be found.
They followed along a gurgling mountain brook for a while, but soon the underbrush became so thick that the only possible way to follow the stream was to walk right in it, as it became larger and tumbled down its rocky bed. Daddy was very tired, and his footsteps, already shaky because of weariness, were even more unsteady as he picked his way among the slippery rocks in the stream. Several times he fell, and Peggy began to wonder if he would make it.
Daddy didn’t tell Peggy, but he was becoming worried as darkness began to creep over the forest. What if he were to twist an ankle or break some bone on the slippery rocks? How could Peggy ever find help? And what about the chill of the night, when temperatures dip down into the forties or lower?
The brush on the side of the stream began to thin out. Daddy staggered out of the rushing stream and wearily sat down on a log. Taking each other’s hand they again told the Lord of the trouble they were in. While he was praying out loud, Daddy dozed off, and Peggy had to shake him awake. Suddenly Peggy realized the seriousness of the situation, and she began to cry. Daddy tried to assure her that the Lord would take care of them, even if they had to sleep in the open, but the lonesome howls of coyotes and the increasing darkness were not very comforting.
Just then Daddy was startled to see, about 100 yards away, what looked like a metal roof reflecting the last rays of twilight through the trees. Was it the ranger’s cabin at the halfway mark on the Ampersand trail? Gathering the last bit of strength he could muster up, Daddy took Peggy by the hand, and they headed for the building they had seen. No, it was not the ranger’s cabin, but it was a very securely locked hunter’s cabin, and with it came the hope of shelter for the night... if they could somehow get inside.
Daddy tried the windows and doors, but everything was tightly locked. Finally, he kicked out a lower panel of the front door, and Peggy was able to wiggle through and unlock the door from the inside. In the cabin was a pot-bellied stove, mattresses and some propane gas in a lamp. Daddy had no idea where this cabin was, but he was sure the Lord had led them to it.
Rummaging around, he found some matches and lit the lamp. Then he lit a roaring fire in the potbellied stove and arranged the mattresses for whatever sleep they could get. There were no blankets, but there was a pile of old newspapers which they used to cover themselves. Daddy decided to leave the propane lamp on in case a search party would be looking for them.
Sleep was fitful, and with the first glimmer of morning light Daddy went down to the stream for a bucket of pure mountain water. He found some instant coffee and sugar left from last fall’s hunting season and prepared a strong cup of coffee with sugar for each of them to give them something to go on. Then he and Peggy straightened up the cabin as best they could and set out on their journey again, after thanking the Lord for the shelter He had so lovingly provided for them.
Several paths led from the cabin, but each one seemed to disappear about 50 yards from the place. Then they heard the distant sound of trucks on a highway. Daddy knew the only highway near the mountain was State Highway 3, but there was no trail to follow. The stream led off in a different direction, so they had to decide whether to strike off toward the sound of the trucks, or follow the stream to where it would join the Saranac River.
Peggy chose the welcome sound of the trucks to follow, and Daddy agreed. His bones were still sore from yesterday’s falls on the slippery rocks. So after praying for the Lord’s protection they set out across the clearing, into the woods, through a swamp, and finally came to a trail that led out of the forest to the welcome sight of a highway. It had taken them about two hours to reach the road.
Daddy was a frightful sight. His unshaven face, his unkempt hair, his ripped clothes, and his bruised and scratched face made it unlikely that anyone but a policeman would stop for him. He was glad Peggy was with him. As the sound of a truck came closer, Daddy hopefully put up his thumb, but the driver roared right by. Next came a car with a lady driver. Daddy was hesitant even to put up his thumb, but the kind lady stopped. After they were in the car, Daddy explained how they had been lost all night on Ampersand mountain. “You must be the ones the State Police are organizing a search party for!” she exclaimed. Not far down the road Daddy spotted a ranger’s pickup truck. They thanked the lady for stopping and then told the forest ranger their story.
In a few minutes he was able to get a radio message to the State Police, and the search was called off just before they were to set off up the mountain. Soon Daddy and Peggy were joyfully reunited with Mother and the rest of the family who had spent an anxious night. How glad they all were to hear of how the Lord had helped Daddy and Peggy. And you may be sure they joined their happy hearts together to thank Him and to glorify Him.
Isn’t it wonderful the way God takes care of His people? Even though Daddy and Peggy were lost in the forest, God showed them a cabin where they could find shelter and then led them to safety. You also can have God as your Guide if you will first accept Him as your own Saviour. He has promised to “never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. He will be with us every moment in our pathway down here. Isn’t He a wonderful Saviour?
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood... to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5,6.
ML-11/27/1983