The afternoon was warm. Drover dozed in the shade beneath the pickup truck. He heard the engine start. Something told him he should be moving, but he felt too deliciously drowsy to stir. Slowly, the pickup started backing up. Drover felt a crushing weight begin to press against his thigh. In an instant his drowsiness turned to desperation. He struggled. He rolled and flailed and raised a terrified cry. The driver heard and pulled forward, freeing Drover.  

Although Drover did not suffer any permanent harm, he was thoroughly shaken. Tail and ears drooping, he walked slowly to his hideout under the porch. He needed time alone. He had lost all interest in chasing cats or barking at strangers. He seemed to understand he’d had a brush with death.  

Sometimes we people get drowsy too. We sense danger and we know we should move, but we just don’t want to bestir ourselves. When we become complacent, God has ways of getting our attention. Rudely awakened by a crushing circumstance, we desperately call on God.  

Our response to God’s deliverance should include a sober evaluation of our past deeds, our present involvements, and our future priorities. When God gets someone’s attention, that person always experiences a change of interest. Former preoccupations no longer seem important as we realign our objectives to the standard of God’s Word. We need time alone with God in prayer and meditation, and we need time to read the Bible in order to learn the mind of God.  

Drover still sleeps under trucks on warm days, but now he is careful to move away in plenty of time. He has learned from his mistake. May we be as wise as he.

Awake to earth, asleep to God—how odd. 
Awake to God, asleep to earth—new birth! 

From Paws on My Porch, by Gary Miller
© 2015 TGS International, PO Box 355, Berlin, Ohio 44610
Used by permission