Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mac . I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day . So grab your cup of coffee , sit back , relax and let me help you start your day right . Gary Patterson grew up in the outdoor wild areas of Oregon .
His family loved everything about the outdoors the fishing , the hunting , the camping , the hiking . All of that was just so much fun for them and Gary loved every minute of it . He told the story of joining his dad one day to go deer hunting .
It went like this Cradling his rifle in the crook of his arm , my dad was following an old logging road nearly overgrown by the encroaching forest . It was early evening and he was just thinking about returning to camp when a noise exploded from a nearby bush .
Before dad even had a chance to raise his rifle , a small blur of brown and white came shooting up the road straight for him . It all happened so fast . Dad hardly had time to think . He looked down and there was a little brown cottontail rabbit , utterly exhausted , crowded up against his legs between his boots .
The little thing was trembling all over , but it just sat there and it didn't budge . Now , this was really strange . Wild rabbits are frightened of people and it's not that often that you actually ever see one , let alone have one coming and sitting at your feet . While Dad was sort of puzzling this over , another player entered the scene .
Down the road , maybe 20 yards away , a weasel burst out of the bush . When it saw my dad and its intended prey sitting at his feet , the predator froze in its tracks , his mouth panting , his eyes sort of glowing red . It was then that dad understood that he had stepped into a little life-and-death drama of the forest .
The rabbit , exhausted by the chase , was only moments from death . Dad was his last hope of refuge . Forgetting its natural fear and caution , the little animal instinctively crowded up against him for protection from the sharp teeth of this weasel , his relentless enemy . And Dad did not disappoint .
He raised his rifle and deliberately shotted the ground just underneath the weasel . The animal seemed to leap almost straight into the air a couple of feet and then rocketed back into the forest as fast as its legs would move . For a little while the little rabbit didn't stir .
It just sat there huddled at Dad's feet in the gathering twilight while he spoke gently to it . Where did it go , little one . I don't think he'll be bothering you for a while . Looks like you're off the hook tonight . Soon the rabbit hopped away back into the forest and Dad and I headed on home . Great little story , isn't it ?
But it leaves us with some questions that we need to answer for ourselves . Where do we run in a time of need ? Where do we run when predators of trouble and fear and worry pursue us ? Where do we hide when our past pursues us like a relentless wolf seeking our destruction ?
Where do we seek protection when the weasels of temptation , corruption and evil threaten to overtake us ? And where do we turn when our energy is spent , when weakness saps us and we feel we cannot run away any longer ?
Do we make sure that we turn to our protector , the one that stands with arms open wide , just waiting for us to come and huddle in the security of all that he is ? Psalm 46 and 1 says that God is our refuge and strength , a very present help in times of trouble . Is he the one that we turn to when we are facing those difficulties ?
Is he truly our refuge and strength ? He says he is , he wants to be , but whether he actually is able to do that or not is not based upon him , it's based upon us . Do we go to him for help ? That little rabbit sought refuge in the protection of the man who was bigger and more powerful than the weasel , and he was saved .
And that's just like what we need to do . We need to find our protection , we need to know that God is our place of refuge , a place that we can hide , a place where we can be comforted , refreshed and strengthened so that we can go on and face whatever comes at us next .
I hope you have a great day , my friends , enjoy it and we will talk again tomorrow . Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday , right here on Starting Right with Danny Mac .