Sorry for the slight misquote in the title but I have to share this story with you. I was recently talking with a lady named Rita who has a number of deer living in her area. I am not completely clear on the timeline, but some time ago Rita noticed one of the bucks was crippled. His hindquarters clearly had been injured which made it difficult for him to walk, lie down and get up. Rita's guess was that he had been hit by a vehicle. Even one of his antlers had broken off!
Well Rita has a soft heart and a deep belief in the power of God so she is compelled to begin praying for this injured buck. "Lord, please heal him and take away his pain" was her plea. Again, I am a little sketchy on the timeline but sometime after Rita began to pray for this deer she was driving home from work. Close to home a buck came walking out onto the road. At first Rita's heart jumped because she thought it was her injured buck; but this one had no limp or any sign of injury in the way he moved across the road. She thought perhaps she was mistaken so quickly asks that God would show her if this indeed is her deer. At that moment the buck stopped and looked directly at her. He stayed there for about 20 seconds gazing right at her and clear as anything, Rita could see the deer's broken antler. And with that confirmation, he bounded off the road and into the trees without the slightest evidence of injury.
Now I don't think we should start up a healing ministry for wildlife, nor do I think that this deer should become a destination for people on spiritual pilgrimage. But I do know that God has intervened in this deer's life for a reason: He wanted to show me that He does indeed answer prayer, even prayers that some might deem frivolous. I heard this story at a point of disappointment and discouragement. It was exactly what I needed to hear from my Father to lift me up and re-orient my perspective towards His faithfulness and provision. The words of Jesus ring in my ears,
"Not even a sparrow [or a deer], worth only half a penny [okay deer are probably worth more than that], can fall to the ground [or be hit by a truck] without your Father knowing it... So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows [or herd of deer]." (Matthew 10:29, 31)
Perhaps you are going through a challenging time, or someone you know is hurting right now. Know that God values each of us far more than He does an injured buck and that He will answer our prayer in exactly the way that is best.
PS Rita thinks she has a picture of the buck when he was injured and she will get one of him healed for all you skeptics out there. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I have them.
I don't think we pick up on just how often God encourages us with moments like this one. Like Lauren mentioned, God gives us moments like these just at the moments we needed it. I think that's why we need to step out in faith in those moments when the Spirit is prompting us in some way. You know those moment...you notice someone has that subdued look on their face and there's something up. God can use us in those moments to be an encouragement, a support, or even offer a life-line if we would reach out in that moment of prompting.
ReplyDeleteWell Lauren, I'm looking forward to Rita's deer pictures (the before and after). I love stories like this that touch our hearts and remind us of the deep love of God.