Defenselessness

 

 

Defenselessness is a defense

A mechanism for trusting God,

Of critical importance to the believer

Absolutely vital to the “called”.

 

This may seem quite nonsensical

To the powerful and the strong

But if like me you are a weakling

On it you would not frown.

 

Cows have horns and goats too,

This is their defense,

Some animals are fleet of foot

And some can jump the fence.

 

Some are huge and frightening

Like the elephant and the bear,

And when you see the lion’s teeth

It is a warning to stand clear.

 

Some deliver powerful kicks

Like the donkey and the mule,

Some make use of camouflage

I find that rather cool.

 

But there are particular animals

To which believers are likened,

They have no defense mechanism

And are quite easily frightened.

 

Defenselessness is their defense

Sheep are the animals I mean,

They are scattered every which way

If the shepherd is off the scene.

 

But their defenselessness is good

They are cognizant of their weakness,

Hence they trust their human leader

And with him they safely rest.

 

So it is with the believer

Our dependence is on Jesus,

We have no defense in ourselves

But in God we quietly trust.

 

 

His strength is perfect in weakness

The weakness of His little lambs

Defenselessness becomes the key

In depending on the Master’s hand.

 

Defenselessness is our defense

We have neither bark nor bite,

Hence, we simply resist the devil

And our Shepherd puts him to flight.

 

Defenselessness is a weapon

Given to the trusting child of God,

Any defenses of his own

Are of the devil, not the Lord.

 

So let us be like the sheep

Which in a shepherd must put its trust,

We are of “the whosoever” will

That put their trust in Jesus.

 

 

Defenselessness is a mechanism

For all that trust in God,

Stand still and see your salvation

All you who are named the “called”.

 

Stewart Russell © September 2019

 

The Lament of A Toothless Woman

“Oh how I wish I was young again and had all of my teeth.”  Ms. Corbin was present as usual at the annual Christmas dinner.  She always wondered why she attended for she never really had a good time.  She looked around at the other guests.  They all seem to be enjoying themselves but there she was sitting in a corner all by herself.

She never enjoyed herself because she had no teeth.  By the time she was forty years she had a toothless smile.  These days she seldom smiled for she was embarrassed because of her empty mouth.  She had few friends and in any case she preferred to be left alone.

There she was with all kinds of appetizing foods to eat but she had to pass them by.  She could not eat the ham, the turkey, the pork or even the roast.  She had no teeth. How she wished she had taken greater care of her teeth as a youth!  She had been warned by her parents and her teachers too, but she paid no heed.

At age forty, she could not speak properly.  Often she wondered, “How am I going to make friends when I can’t even speak properly?”  That was not all.  Since she had lost all of her teeth her face was now distorted and her mouth appeared to be mashed down.  One could just imagine how Ms. Corbin felt.  No wonder she kept to herself.  Oh, how she wished she had taken greater care of her teeth!

Stewart Russell © 1998