“Escaping Death” by Reva Lachica Moore
A red-spotted salamander called the “newt” slowly crawled out from under a rock to look for food. Snails and slugs coming out of slimy vegetation were its target.
But a few feet away, another hungry and voracious eater was also making its rounds. The frog with its sticky, retractile tongue was catching insects within its reach. It spotted the unwary newt. Perfectly camouflaged amongst the dead leaves and soggy dirt, the frog sat very still. It allowed smaller insects to buzz by, for before it was a bigger meal. The frog closed its eyes pretending to be asleep yet sensing the unsuspecting newt as it crept in closer. When the newt was but a few inches away, the frog rapidly stuck out its sticky tongue, caught the newt and retracted its tongue. In a blink of an eye, the newt was swallowed whole and only its tail showed, and this also disappeared in an instant. I was spellbound as I watched and listened to the narrator on National Geographic on TV.
It may have been a delectable meal for the frog, but it was also its last. The narrator said that this particular newt was capable of producing toxins in its skin excretions as a defense mechanism against predators. A newt could produce more than enough tetrodotoxin to kill even an adult human who is foolish enough to swallow it. So, within a few minutes, the frog shook terribly and made croaking sounds as the newt’s poison entered its body. A few minutes later, the frog was dead.
My eyes stayed glued on the TV screen. I thought what I saw was absolutely amazing! But what I saw next enthralled me even more. From the dead frog’s mouth, the newt slowly crawled out—ALIVE! It had escaped death!
Don’t you wish man had some type of defense mechanism like that of a newt to ward off danger? When we get into problems, or get in harm’s way, wouldn’t it be nice to get out unscathed?
But we do. We have a defense mechanism to fend off danger. It is called PRAYER. God has given us His promise of deliverance in Psalms 91:15… “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him, and I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.”
Prayer: “God, during this very stressful times, You are with us. Help us to put our trust in You and please keep us safe, protected and in good health always. Please send us the Holy Spirit in abundant measure. Amen.”
Psalms 91:3-11 “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angel charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.