Blogs often focus on personal opinion, experiences, views, anecdotes or advice. Blogs tend to have a relaxed and conversational feel, such as in storytelling and are generally 300-500 words.
Articles aim to deliver well-researched, informative content with solid evidence to back up the points made. Articles are usually more formal, organized and frequently range 500-1000 words.
More than a blog, “To the Rescue” is a compilation of scriptures, comments, poetry and music centered on the theme that when we call on God, He will come “To the Rescue.” This is a new enterprise for me to a degree. Not too long ago, I became a writer for Examiner.com, an Internet publication, serving as Christian Spirituality Examiner for Columbus, Ohio. In publishing articles, I learned to insert photos and embed videos as well. Since I have a page on the Way Corps website, I thought I’d see if I could incorporate some of the same features as part of my blog. This is my first attempt at such a modified blog, and I trust it will be a blessing to you, as we together trust in God’s faithfulness to respond to our call. Here is a link to the original article from which this discussion was taken.
Halloween and some of its negative aspects, such as pranks, remind me of an incident a friend shared with me when he went to live with a relative in the rural South where there was no indoor plumbing, and everyone used an outdoor toilet known as an “outhouse.” Unbeknownst to my young friend, the custom on Halloween night was to move the “outhouse” from its original position so that when a person stepped inside, he would fall into the pit. That’s exactly what happened, and my friend immediately cried out, “Daddy, Daddy, come and get me!” His father came running with a flashlight and reached down and grabbed his son by the collar and snatched him out of the horrible pit. That incident never fails to remind me of a spiritual parallel whereby I, like the young boy in horrific circumstances, called out to my Heavenly Father in desperation. I identified with my friend and expressed my thoughts in some of the lines of “my testimony in poetry”:
With lovin arms you reach way down And snatched me from Satan’s outhouse, Sought me and flat-out rescued me, Fixed me up in my Father’s house.
Why Don’t Somebody Help Me Praise the Lord?
(from Stone upon Stone: Psalms of Remembrance)
Many times as we go through life, we become entangled in circumstances that restrict our efforts to succeed and impede our progress. Like the Psalmist we may find ourselves in situations whereby we cry out to God:
Psalm 35:17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
The calling out to God in desperation to “come rescue me” is beautifully expressed in this rendition of “I Need You Now” by Smokie Norful:
When I think about being rescued from a dangerous situation, I recall some of the lyrics of this familiar “vintage hymn” from childhood days of growing up in the Church. The hymn was “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” which had these lines:
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
The words have become even more meaningful today. I was absolutely overwhelmed by this rendition of the song from the combined choruses of Brigham Young University:
Like Daniel in the den of lions, we sometimes find ourselves in desperate, seemingly impossible situations from which we cannot extract ourselves on our own. When we think of such situations like that of Daniel, we must remember the King’s response when God delivered Daniel:
Daniel 6:27
He [the God of Daniel] delivers and rescues, and he works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
In thinking about the record of Daniel in the lion’s den, the words of a Black Spiritual also raise an important question:
Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, deliver Daniel, Deliver Daniel? Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel? Then why not every man?
“Hand upon the Plow” gives account in poetry of a number of instances where God came to the rescue of Daniel and other believers:
Hand upon the Plow
Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62
“Keep your hand on the plow, hold on!” --Black Spiritual
When life ain’t like it spose to be, Right then and there it occurs to me Folks been in fixes worse than me, Right in the Bible where I see:
The Lord will make a way somehow. Just keep your hand upon the plow.
Pharaoh said, “Kill each Hebrew boy,” But Moses’ Ma was full of joy Cause Pharaoh’s daughter raised her boy. The Lord will make a way somehow.
The lions looked so lean and thin When they throwed Daniel in the den, But Old Man Daniel didn’t bend. Just keep your hand upon the plow.
When Jesus died, God paid the cost And at that time all seem like lost, But God planned ahead for Pentecost. The Lord will make a way somehow.
Paul and Silas didn’t rant and wail When they throwed both of them in jail. They called on God, and He didn’t fail. Just keep your hand upon the plow.
When troubles start to buggin you Remember, there’s just one thing to do: Look to God and He’ll see you through. What he did for them, He’ll do for you.
The Lord will make a way somehow. Just keep your hand upon the plow.
From Stone upon Stone: Psalms of Remembrance
During times of intense pressure when I forget just how faithful God has been, He gently comforts and reminds with these words:
Listen to Me Isaiah 46:3-4 Listen to me. Open your ears and clearly hear I have always been there. Though you had not perceived My presence in the wasteland, I was ever near. Indeed, I knew you before you were first conceived. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He Who still holds you and causes you to remember. I open deaf ears and cause blinded eyes to see The passion that consumes your soul was once an ember. Though I seem to be delayed, I will not tarry But will return for the faithful ones who remain: Those whom I have made those I will also carry; Those whom I have called by name I will sustain. Rest in me: I will perform all I said to do. Know that I will sustain you and will rescue you.
Every Halloween when I recall my friend who found himself in a horrific situation and called out to his father or whenever I find myself in a horrible mess, generally of my own making, I am also reminded of this truth that when I cry out, my Heavenly Father will come “to the rescue.”
When I recall the circumstances from which God rescued me, many times I am overwhelmed with gratitude, as I shudder to think when I might be if He had not intervened in such a dramatic manner. In reflecting upon God’s intervention, I composed this poem which I use to conclude this blog.
If It Had Not Been for the Lord “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
Psalm 124:1
If it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, I would have drowned in the sea from the tears I cried. I shudder to think just where I would be today. I would have lost my mind or turned and walked away, But I learned that God is faithful—this cannot be denied.
He was there to guide when I was tempted and tried, My shelter from the storm where I could run and hide. He was my deliverer—that is all I have to say: If it had not been for the Lord.
Enemies rose up like a flood to wash aside, But God came through and rescued me and turned the tide. Pressing toward the mark, dawning of a brand new day, Through all my trials I learned to watch, fight and pray. The Lord is my keeper; in Him I confide: If it had not been for the Lord.
What a great and uplifiting blog Lonnell. You are a darn good writer. Please post all your future articles here if you can. We have plenty of room for them. I see you managed to do the links and You Tubes just fine.You might consider centering your videos. It is a matter of tase I suppose. All you do is add this in front of your You Tube imbed code div align="center" But you must enclose the code in brackets like this<>. I had to remove the brackets becasue it will center this text I am writing if I leave it in.
Here is my favorite one of the three you posted. That guy is outstanding. I centered it so you can see how it looks. Thanks again.
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Here is my favorite one of the three you posted. That guy is outstanding. I centered it so you can see how it looks. Thanks again.