Last Words | With Me | Rescued from the Bog

He lifted me out of the slimy pit… he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  Psalm 40:2

The gooey, green surface of the Bog gurgled and popped, emitting a noxious odor that should have warned careless passersby. But still they jumped in, disregarding the Danger signs posted at short intervals along the banks. Nothing survived that fell into the Bog and nothing existed that could pull them out. Except one. Cries for help echoed across the surface of the sludge and the lone figure standing at a safe distance, winced. She’d been in there once, drowning and hopeless. Then He’d come along, the Man with the holes in His hands. He’d held an object out to her, fashioned like a cross, and she’d grabbed hold so He could pull her to safety. Now, clean, whole, and standing on higher ground, she vowed never to return to the Bog.

Suddenly, He was beside her, but His eyes were fixed on the gurgling swamp. “Go after them,” He whispered and she noticed a tear on His cheek. “You’ll need this.” He held the cross out to her, the same one that had saved her life. Now she could see that it was coated in something that looked like blood. “But I don’t want to go back,” she protested. “I’m safe now. Clean. Can’t I just stay with you?”  He smiled at her. “That’s where I’ll be, rescuing them like I rescued you. My presence will keep you safe. Let’s do it together.” So, with one hand clinging tightly to the cross and the other hand in His, she stepped back into the Bog.

Final Thought:  If Jesus has rescued you from the Bog, what are you doing to rescue others?
Prayer: Jesus, when I think of all you’ve rescued me from, I shudder. I don’t ever want to go back. But you’ve saved me and are now asking me to help you rescue others who are where I was.  Go with me as I take your hope to the desperate. Amen.