For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Psalms 91:11-12

Kyle Camp is a ten-year-old boy who lives in Hackleburg, Alabama.

Kyle Camp is also a boy who has Down syndrome. Both of those reasons explain why, when he went missing from his house around 4:30 in the afternoon, his folks were deeply concerned. A two-hour search was made before his parents made the mandatory call to the police.

The sheriff, along with local police, neighboring firefighters, and a state helicopter were joined by 150 volunteers, who spent the night unsuccessfully searching the heavily wooded area for young Camp.

Finally, after Camp had been gone for 18 hours, two searchers found the lad. He was by a creek more than half a mile from his home. The folks who found him said they heard some dogs barking, and they shouted for Kyle. He called back, and they discovered him in the thick brush. They discovered him surrounded by four puppies.

Leaders of the search said that Camp was wet, had a few scrapes and bruises, and had lost his shoes. They also said one other thing: they believed his puppies had kept him warm during the cold night.

You know, the Bible says that God will send His holy angels to guard us, wherever we go. It also says those angels will grab hold of us to prevent us from stubbing our toes on some sort of stumbling block.

That's what the Bible says. Search as I have, I can find nothing about the Lord sending puppies to keep us from hypothermia. Even so, apparently that is what the Triune God did.

I wonder how many other non-angels the Lord has placed into our lives? Those of us who have Christian parents certainly had their protection. Pam and myself had a gaggle of dedicated parochial school teachers who did their best to help us. Over the years I have had numerous laypeople go out of their way to be of assistance to their pastor and, I pray, I have been a blessing to some of them.

As you think back on your life, no doubt you also have had many non-angels, too. If so, it is right we give thanks to the Lord for such individuals. They, in a small way, have tried to walk in the footsteps of our greatest Benefactor, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because of His sacrifice, His suffering, death and resurrection, we who have been called to faith are now continuously surrounded by God's grace and are kept safe in His mercy. And although Jesus is no longer physically with us, His heaven-sent angels remain on duty all around us.

Protective angels or protecting puppies, God's protection remains a comfort.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in many ways and in many circumstances You have afforded me special protection. May I be thankful for the accidents that never happened and the dangers that were kept at a distance. This I pray in the Name of the Savior, my great Protector. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 33-34    1 Peter 5

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"