I stood gazing out of my kitchen window. On this particular day, I had watched three fox squirrels playing chase in the backyard. I often watched these squirrels scampering up and down the old oak tree that houses their home. They search for nuts buried in the yard and sun themselves in the sunshine on warm days.
I continued my housework and went on about my business. A few minutes later, my cleaning chores required that I return to the kitchen sink. With a quick look out the window, I saw a single squirrel happily eating a nut he had retrieved from its hiding place.
Suddenly, the squirrel stood up straight on his hind legs His ears pointed upward and it appeared he was listening intently. As quick as a snap and with the speed of light, up the old tree he ran. He found a perch on an old knot in the tree with eyes and ears still intent on looking and listening for potential danger.
As I was watching the squirrel, my eyes were drawn to the other side of the fence to the top of a tree that had shed its leaves for winter. There in the air slightly above the tree was a red shouldered hawk making a landing on the top branch. So now I knew what the true danger was to my little squirrel.
Seeing this scene play out in my backyard, my first thought was “oh, no! My camera is upstairs!” Yes, I know, sigh. But what an awesome photo that would be in this battle of the survival of the squirrel sitting motionless in the tree and the hawk in the line of sight about 100 yards away wanting his dinner.
Unfortunately, nature doesn’t hold still even though I hurried as fast as I could to retrieve my camera from the camera bag and get back downstairs to take the photo. Camera in hand, I focused on the squirrel since the hawk had flown away. The squirrel twisted and laid his body in a straight line next to the bark of the tree and made his way upward to safety in his home inside the oak tree.
The squirrel was safe and the hawk was gone. The squirrel had been alert to impending danger from the hawk. God created him with preservation instincts and equipped him with the ability to know when danger was present and what to do in order to save himself from a predator.
God also provides His children the same types of instincts and sensitivities as well as the Holy Spirit to assist us in helping make decisions in order to resist the very one who wishes to devour us. God’s Word speaks to us to remind us that we too, like the squirrel must be alert and aware of our predator-the devil.
1 Peter 5: 8 ” Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…”
What can we do to be aware? The Word says we are to be sober-minded (know what the devil is capable of doing), be watchful (keep your eyes and ears open to potential danger), resist him by standing firm in your faith and guarding your heart and mind from evil. Be in God’s Word and if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior you have God’s Holy Spirit within you to give you guidance. Listen to His leading.