On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, the family of Casey Hathaway reported the three-year-old boy as missing. Casey had wandered away from their North Carolina home into the woods surrounding the home.

By the time search teams had organized that evening, the temperature was already below freezing. For two days they searched for the boys with volunteer and professional search teams. By Thursday the weather had become so bad that they stopped the volunteers from searching and continued on with just the professionals.

The area is described as “treacherous” covered in sinkholes and flooded areas. Incredibly, that night they found Casey about a half a mile inside the woods after a woman walking her dog heard him calling for help.

The sheriffs had to wade through waist deep water to recuse Casey and though cold, hungry and scratched up, he was safe.

Then Casey told them a story about what happened. He said that bear looked after him while he was lost.

Casey’s aunt posted on Facebook:

“He said he hung out with a bear for two days. God sent him a friend to keep him safe. God is a good God. Miracles do happen.”

Casey’s grandmother added:

“This little one was lost in the woods for days in the freezing temperatures, rain, dark night and winds. He told us that his best friend the bear was with him to keep him safe. Thanks to God’s mercy, he came home to us alive and well.”

Of course, the mockers did what they do best and mocked the little boy’s story.

But throughout the Bible we have several instances where God obviously communicated with animals and actually used them to do His bidding.

In the book of Noah, we are told that pairs of every animal, bird, reptile on earth willingly came together and entered the ark (Genesis 6:19). Of course, the mockers mock that story as well, but to their chagrin, science actually confirms this account. A study of mitochondrial DNA conducted by two geneticists Mark Stoeckle from New York’s The Rockefeller University and David Thaler from Switzerland’s University of Basel concluded that all humans and over 90% of animal life originated from one set of parents. The duo, who still believe in evolution, stated there must have been some type of a world-wide catastrophe that resulted in singles sets of animals surviving and reviving the population.

Of course, this wasn’t the only time that God communicated with animals. In 1 Kings 17:3-4, God had ravens carry food to Elijah who was hiding in a cave after fleeing the notorious wicked Queen Jezebel.

In Jonah 1:17, we are told that God provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah after he was tossed overboard by the sailors. The word fish could also describe whales. This whale or fish then coughed Jonah up near shore.

There are several other instances as well. We read of the lions not attacking Daniel after the King of Babylon ordered Daniel to be tossed into their den (Daniel 6:20-22) and of the dove returning to the ark with an olive leaf, instead of remaining in the wild, to let Noah know it was safe to leave the ark (Genesis 8:11).

Sources:

• Toddler survives in woods in freezing temps for 2 days after befriending bear: Charismanews
• 3-year-old boy lost in NC woods tells his family he ‘hung out with a bear for 2 days’: Charlotte Observer