As I finished yesterday reading over the articles I have
posted this summer, I was comforted to see the way in which God has been
preparing me spiritually, mentally, and emotionally to share with you today. I am learning to throw
my dependence upon God on a whole new level and trust Him to “make all things
beautiful in His time” as I wrote about a couple weeks ago. Yesterday I was
reading a devotional that reminded me that even while Jesus was on this earth,
He depended upon God the Father for everything He did, said, and accomplished.[i] Knowing that Jesus, who is
God Himself, did this gives me confidence and hope to do the same.
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| Bedford, Nova Scotia |
There are times in life, when people need someone to “throw
out a life- line” and rescue them from something or someone. The Lord brought
to my mind the old hymn, “Throw out the Life-Line”. It was primarily written to
inspire us to be available and active in sharing God’s plan of salvation with
those who don’t know Christ, but I believe it also has wider applications. Perhaps
you know the words, but I’d like to share them with you:
“Throw out the lifeline across the dark wave,
There is a brother that someone should save;
Somebody’s brother! Oh, who then will dare
To throw out the Life-Line, his peril to share?
Chorus:
Throw out the
Life-Line! Throw out the Life-Line!
Someone is
drifting away;
Throw out the
Life-Line! Throw out the Life-Line!
Someone is
sinking today.
Verse 2:
Throw out the
Life-Line with hand quick and strong;
Why do you tarry,
why linger so long?
See! He is
sinking; oh hasten today
And out with the Life-Boat! Away, then, away!
Verse 3:
Throw out the
Life-Line to danger fraught men,
Sinking in
anguish where you’ve never been;
Winds of
temptation and billows of woe
Will soon hurl
them out where the dark waters flow.
Verse 4:
Soon will the
season of rescue be o’er,
Soon will they
drift to eternity’s shore;
Haste, then, my
brother, no time for delay,
But throw out the
Life-Line and save them today.”
- Edward S. Ulford[ii]
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| Coast guard ship, St. John's, NL |
Three very different situations have affected our lives
this week. In each instance,
they have needed someone to “throw out a life-line” and I praise God that He
provided loving and godly people to be present and available when they were
desperately needed. It has caused me to wonder how many times I have missed an
opportunity to do whatever I could to rescue someone who was facing a time of
desperation and didn’t know where to turn for help. I need to pray every day
that I will recognize the signs and not ignore them or try to explain them
away. I pray He will enable me to obey Him promptly as I may be just the one He
has chosen for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
This week I started reading Chuck Swindoll’s book, Esther:
A Woman of Strength and Dignity[iii] and am
thoroughly enjoying it. If you’re not familiar with her story, I encourage you
to read it as it is an amazing portrayal of how God sovereinly directs our
lives to accomplish His greater purposes. In her case, God placed her in a
position where she could “throw out a life-line” that would be instrumental in
rescuing her people, the Jews, from certain annihilation.
I also saw a documentary during the week that showed
coverage of people being rescued from disastrous flash-flooding. Life-lines
were thrown to them from boats, helicopters, and the shore-line in an attempt
to save these individuals from being swept away to their death. As some of them
were able to grasp the line and hang on, they were saved and rescued from
danger.
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| Newfoundland trip |
If you’re facing a time of uncertainty, despair, and don’t
know where to turn, I encourage you to seize the life-line that Jesus is
holding out to you. His love for you is infinite, secure, and forever! He is “…close to the brokenhearted and saves those
who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18). “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm
147:3). And as was prophesied of Christ in Isaiah 61:1, God sent Him to “bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives, and release for the prisoners.”
Whatever situation is threatening to hold us captive and
drown us in despair, we must cling to Jesus, our Life-Line, and let Him
orchestrate our rescue. My thanksgiving and praise goes to Him!
Until next Sunday,
Kathy
Beautiful post Kathy...thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Geneva. Glad you enjoyed it. I just left a comment on your post today too.
ReplyDelete