Rescue the Perishing
Selected words by Fanny Crosby
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that are broken will vibrate once more.
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it,
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them,
Tell the poor wand'rer a Savior has died.
One thing I like about this song is the holistic nature of it. People are not just physical beings, nor just spiritual. Trying to treat a patient with a mental illness or one that is emotionally broken with merely physical treatments is not going to work. Telling a patient to "transcend to a happy place" in their mind when their leg has been severed also will not work. Jesus gives us a perfect example by having compassion on people and going out to preach and heal. God has created us in a multidimensional way and this is how health care workers should view patients. As for "feelings [that] lie buried that grace can restore" (exceedingly abundantly!), who hasn't, at one time or another, been stirred by kindness and love? Oh how humbling it is to see God working through humans like this! Why does "duty demand" that we rescue the perishing? Because we ourselves have been rescued, we should realize how desperately others need to be. Because He first loved us can we now love Him and others. And by His grace He gives us the strength to do so.
Rescue the perishing, my fellow health care workers and friends!
Rescue the perishing, dear believing brothers and sisters!
Rescue the perishing, as you yourself have been rescued.
4 comments:
When I was a little girl and it was "hymn request night" I'd often request this hymn. Don't know why. Maybe it was during the years that I wanted to be a nurse . . . :-)
I didn't know you wanted to be a nurse when you were a little girl! How fun! Oh how I remember those hymn request nights. Balancing the shyness of my grade-school self with the desire to have my favorite hymns sung...good times. ;)
I hear there's an opening at the hospital in Ifanadiana...
This is fabulous! I'm a nurse as well....and these are words to remember. :) Thanks for sharing!
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