One overcast Saturday afternoon Mark asked permission to take his dad’s car and his old shotgun to go deer hunting. Now that old shotgun was known for only firing two-thirds of the time, but it was the only one available, so Mark was glad to use it.
Off he went, driving from Rockland about 35 miles up into the heavily wooded interior of Maine. Nearing the area, he began driving very slowly along the side of the road, looking for signs of deer. It wasn’t too long before he saw a big buck.
Mark parked the car, jumped out with the shotgun, took good aim and fired. But it so happened that that was the one-third of the time when the shotgun didn’t fire properly. The buck was startled by the noise and crashed through the underbrush, with Mark crashing after him.
The chase went on for an hour or so, and each time the buck stopped to rest, Mark would try to stalk him and take aim, but he never got an opportunity like he had the first time. Now the buck was jumpy, and hearing the slightest noise, it would crash into the underbrush in another direction. Then Mark would trail him once again.
After a while Mark began to get tired and decided to sit down to eat an apple he had in his pocket. While resting, he noticed an unusual tree growing near the spot where he was sitting. Finishing his apple, he got up and began trailing the deer again.
Well, Mark never did catch up to that deer because he was suddenly rather surprised to see that it was beginning to get dark—time to head back to the car. It was then he realized that he had been in such a hurry to chase that deer that he hadn’t taken the time to pull his compass out and check his direction as he usually did.
Mark started to worry. He didn’t know exactly which way he should go. He began to walk in the direction that he thought would be the right way.
After walking for about an hour, he was startled by a discovery. He had come back to the same unusual tree where he had stopped to eat his apple. Now he really was worried, because he realized he had walked in a big circle! So he asked the Lord Jesus to help him find his way out of the woods.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:1212There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)). As we travel through life, we also have to turn in the right direction if we want to be on the road that leads to heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)), so we must follow Him.
It wasn’t too long before Mark’s prayer for help was answered. A kind old woodsman came walking by, and he said to Mark, “Son, what are you trying to do?”
Mark answered, “I’m trying to get to the road.”
The old woodsman said, “Well, you’ll never get there that way, son.” Then the kind old man said to Mark, “Follow me, son, and I’ll lead you to the road.”
Mark didn’t have to be told that he was lost—he knew it very well. He was only too thankful to follow the woodsman to the road and thanked him several times for leading him the right way.
It is the goodness of God that leads us to Calvary’s cross. There the Lord Jesus died for sin. We deserved God’s punishment for our sins. But if we confess that we are sinners and trust in the Lord Jesus, believing that He was punished for our sins in our place, we’ll be saved and on that road that leads to heaven. There is no other way!
The old woodsman had led Mark out of the woods just a short distance from where the car was parked. So he hopped in the car, thanked the old man again, and was soon on his way home.
For those of us who have followed God’s way of salvation, how thankful we can be that heaven soon will be our home, because the Lord Jesus was willing to die on Calvary’s cross for our sins. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)).
ML-11/26/2017