Jake Just Stood There

My mother’s father, Papaw Epperly, lived in Shady Spring, West Virginia, but grew up a few miles south of there in Odd, West Virginia.  Growing up, they had no electricity and only a pot-bellied wood stove to heat the entire two-story house with.  His mother, my great-granny Epperly, cooked on a wood cook stove with no running water.  As a boy, Papaw had to go to the spring down the hill about two hundred yards and carry two buckets of water back at a time.  Field work was done with the help of a mule named Jake.  Jake was strong but gentle and tough as could be.  One day, Papaw and his older brother Ralph, took Jake into the woods to cut some firewood.  Jake would pull the log back to the homestead where the firewood would be cut up as needed.  Uncle Ralph and Papaw used a two-man crosscut saw to fell the tree.  But nearby tree limbs caused the tree to fall the wrong way.  Jake was standing right in the path of the falling tree!  Both boys yelled, but Jake didn’t understand, “Run, Jake, run!”  So he just stood there.  The tree fell right on Jake’s shoulders.  He shuddered a little, but still stood.  The boys ran to Jake and slid the tree off of Jake’s shoulders and onto the ground.  Jake just stood there.  Jake had no idea what was happening.  He just stood where he was put.  Hey, there is a lesson in this story for us!  We have no idea what will happen tomorrow, but the dear Lord has put us where we are, He knows what is going to happen tomorrow, and tomorrow is under His control.  So, whatever happens tomorrow, we can stand up under the pressure, because the dear Lord is right there to strengthen us.  Paul said in I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  Stand fast in the Lord!