sary and their only avenue of escape from hawks or predatory animals is to run back into the crevices of rocks where they cannot be followed. In view of the perils of life, we need a defense — just as m the case of the ants, in view of the prospects of life we need diligence. Well, there are perils in life, lots of them, against which we are no match but we find in His Word that “The Lord will be a place of de fence for His people.” In another ver sion it says that the Lord will be a re pair shop for His people. In still an other version it says that the Lord will be a harbor of refuge for His people. Then other translations read that the Lord will be a drydock for His people. Well, that is the lesson we learn from these coneys — He is a shelter for us in time of storm. He is that Himself, and so we run to Him. We read the account of a dove that was being chased by a hawk and the dove was no match for the hawk for when it flew down in the grass the hawk swooped down. She flew through the orchard but the hawk followed. Then she flew on high only to find that the chase was still on and that she was losing. But suddenly she saw a cleft in the side of the rock and that proved to be her place of safety — the hawk could not get to her there. And we are to remember that He is our place of defence and like the co neys, we are to hide in the cleft of the Rock. Remember that “The Lord is a place of defence for His people.” When a wife loses her husband and becomes a widow with several children for whom she must care, she goes on her knees to the One who is the Bread of Life and the Water of Life and tells Him about the hungry mouths of the precious little kiddies. In a blessed way the Lord comes to the rescue and is a shelter in the time of storm. Then there come times when a brother must go to the operating room in a very serious difficulty, and he knows that he may not come out alive. I saw one, a very dear friend of mine— a dentist—and I went with him into
the operating room. He put his hand on his head and said, “Doctor, it would be wonderful to go to heaven from the operating table. I would not be sur prised if the Lord would do that.” He was grateful that God was so near to him in his hour of difficulty and dark ness. The Lord is a refuge in the time of storm. You know, David said that the Lord was his defence, his high rock and his shelter (Psalm 18), and He was that to David and surely David needed Him in all these aspects, and needed Him badly. So are you going to have these sore needs in your life for we all have lots and lots of troubles, problems, and difficulties and you are going to need this lovely Lord to be a place of de fence and refuge for you. The coneys recognize their weakness and so must you; they recognize their inability to fight the battle —- so must you and I. The coneys remain close to the cliffs — they do not run around in the grass es. Well, that is what the Lord wants us to do. He says, “Come unto me . . .” That is because He knows that outside of Him the storms are present and the raging winds are apt to wreck us. And so we walk with the Lord, as did Enoch; we hide in the Ark, as did No ah; and we sing with the Lord, as did David, and we work with the Lord as did Paul. We just stay close to Jesus and like John, lean on His bosom. When the disciples suffered the wrath of men and the storms came in the burning at the stake,, and the hanging and tortures—they found rest and re freshment in the Lord Jesus, the Sav iour of sinners. When a storm comes you know the little one in its crib, frightened at the sharpness of the lightning as it flashes, and the shaking of the house as the heavy winds blow, climbs out of the crib and comes over to the bed and says, “Daddy, may I get in bed with you?” The storm is terrible and the father pretty soon lifts the little thing from the noise of the storm and he finds security in his father’s love. So Christ is our refuge in time of storm. The coneys tell us that story! 5
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