By Bob Connor

I am still camped out in Huntsville State Park, with my stack of books, seeking truth, and talking to a deer who had appeared before me and who was, with authority, giving me lessons in religious matters. He continued to speak with an authority that was almost palpable. I could not help but wonder who or what he was.

“Does God always keep His promises?” I asked, fearing that I was being sophomoric.

“Well, first we must ascertain what He has promised,” the deer answered. “What do you think He has promised you? Do you think that He promised you a good life? Health? Wealth? Salvation?” the deer rhetorically questioned.

“No, you have to earn these things,” I offered.

“Health and wealth are earthly things which can largely be managed by humans… salvation is the tricky one,” the deer replied. “The whole of the Hebrew Scriptures, also known as ‘The Old Testament’ is God’s promise for salvation. The New Testament is the fulfillment of that promise.”

“God keeps His promises,” the deer assured me. “He offers you a way to contentment, a way to overcome sadness and grief, a way to hope in a time of despair, a way to endure suffering, and, most importantly, a way to salvation and eternal life. But, you have to choose the path that He has laid out for you and not another path.”

The deer continued to educate me. “The greatest promise of all in the Hebrew Scriptures is the promise that began with Abraham who God promised would be the father of many nations. God promised that He would watch over them. This promise, known as the The Abrahamic Covenant, flows throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, and culminates in the promise of the coming of the Messiah – the Anointed One who would bring the ultimate gift to mankind, salvation.”

“Isaiah speaks of the promises of salvation constantly. Jeremiah speaks of specific promises to the Israelites. The other prophets speak loudly about God’s promises to the Israelites. These promises are referenced and extended to all the world, including the Gentiles, in the New Testament by Jesus Himself.”

“Who’re Isaiah and Jeremiah?” I blurted out.

The deer looked at me with a furrowed brow. “Look in that book that I keep talking about, but which you have yet to read.”

I stared at my feet.

“God gives you a chance – that’s all,” the deer instructed me. “You have ‘free will’. If you want to sin, He will not stop you; but, He will try to guide you away from it. That is why He gave you the Sacred Scriptures and the church and its teachings. That is why He incarnated a part of Himself into human form – to be like you so that He could teach you in ways that you would, hopefully, understand. That is why I am here.”

The deer continued. “He gives you teachers, religious leaders, and authors who write about inspirational topics. He gives you everything you need in order to come to love Him freely. But, He’s not going to force you. We are created in His image so it is logical to imagine that God has human characteristics – just as Jesus did. God wants love that is freely given – not forced – just like the love that .humans desire.”

The deer then stepped up onto a large log and proclaimed:

“God revealed Jesus’ ministry when Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Moses and Elijah and three of His disciples. Moses represented the Law which Jesus had come to fulfill. Elijah represented the prophets who had proclaimed the promises of God of which Jesus was the fulfillment. The three disciples represented the messengers who would carry the message of the Trinity to the world. But, this was not the climax of Jesus’ ministry. That would come with His resurrection which set the stage for the fulfillment of the greatest promise which the prophets had hardly imagined – eternal life.”

The deer stepped down from the log, looked at me straight in the eye and asked, “Do you get it?”

(The Banner, December 9, 2009)