"Saved"

They came right out of nowhere,

Like a norther blowin’ in,

And all of us were plumb surprised,

By the tale they brought with them.

They were just two cowboys,

Name Pete, the other Paul,

Humble as the day is long,

But came in ridin’ tall.

Said they had a mission,

Been to the edge of hell,

But by the grace of God above,

They lived and now could tell,

How the Good Lord saved ‘em,

From their certain fate,

They’d looked the devil in the eye,

But found God was not late.

They were workin’ in a line camp,

Surviving way up high,

Their job to tend the cattle,

Let none of them get by.

And off one day while workin’,

They ran into a bear,

He really was a monster,

Was feedin’ on a steer.

Too late for the rifle,

He went for them like prey,

The horses went to buckin’,

And tryin’ to get away.

And soon they were unseated,

And both of them afoot,

With that old bear a-snarlin’,

He wasn’t stayin’ put.

And just when it got dicey,

It looked just like the end,

A pack of wolves came chasin’,

A mule deer right through then.

So what you had was chaos,

A bear and wolves and deer,

And two shook up old cowboys,

Just tryin’ to get clear.

It was just enough distraction,

The cowboys got away,

The wolves they never tarried,

The bear, no more to say.

They got hold of the horses,

They only ran a mile,

Came down off the mountain,

And stopped to pray awhile.

They thought what are the chances,

They’d be threatened by a bear,

And at the perfect moment,

A wolf pack would be there.

They figured it was providence,

They’d better not tempt fate,

They thought they would get right with God,

And never risk the wait.

They owned that they were sinners,

They grabbed ahold the cross,

They knew the Lord had spared ‘em,

From dying while they’s lost.

They then made the promise,

Like Paul and Pete of old,

That everywhere they cowboyed,

The story would get told.

When way off in the country,

And so far from the grid,

They survived a bear attack,

‘Cause of what the Good Lord did.

But more than that they welcomed,

Salvation full and free,

And now they sure did tell it,

To everyone and me.

“All day long I will proclaim Your saving power…” (Ps. 71:15, NLT)

There are those who believe that a verbal witness is not really necessary. You hear them say things like: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” Or “actions speak louder than words.” Or they emphasize “walking the walk” over “talking the talk.” Though these may sound wise, they are unbiblical. We certainly are called to show and model our faith to others, but never to the exclusion of verbally saying what the Lord has done for us. In fact the reason we are saved today is because someone took the time to tell us about Jesus. They might have shown us first, but then someone verbally told us the truth that Jesus died and was raised, and how to receive the salvation He died to give us. Faith comes by hearing…it’s just the way the Bible says it happens. The Psalmist, like the cowboys in the poem, determined and decided to tell what God had done. This is not because of guilt or obligation, but because the good news is just too good not to tell someone. It, in fact, is the best news on earth! We talk enthusiastically about everything else we love. Why not this?

Lord, help us to tell others what You have done for us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by TIm Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.