Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: TOWER (01/16/20)
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TITLE: Rescued By The Name On The Tower Door | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mariane Holbrook
01/21/20 -
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All day in school, Ellen had watched the snow falling outside until about three inches had accumulated.
"Perfect for sledding!" she whispered to her friends in their fifth- grade class. "Let's
meet at my house after school since I live closest to Spring Street Hill."
Later at home, Ellen grabbed a snack, dressed warmly and went outside. Immediately,
Mrs. Bennett called to her from her porch across the road. Ellen hurried over
while her friends waited.
"Ellen, I have a dentist's appointment in a few minutes and I need you to babysit Amy
until Mr. Bennett gets home. He's running late, but he should be here any minute."
Hiding her disappointment, Ellen called back to the group of kids. "You all go on, and I'll be there in a few minutes. I have to babysit."
Mrs. Bennett led her inside the house, explained that her baby was asleep and left immediately.
Dependable and mature for her age, Ellen had already babysat for a few neighbors who only needed her for an hour or so. She stood quietly at the front window without removing her jacket, looking for any sight of Mr. Bennett.
Shortly, he arrived and greeted her warmly. He was well-liked by the neighborhood children, inviting them to play on the swing set and trampoline in his back yard. Besides serving as a deacon in his church, he taught a Sunday School class for teenagers.
Ellen prepared to leave, explaining that the other kids had already gone sledding
and she was joining them.
Mr. Bennett reached out to her and asked, "Can you wait just a minute? I want to
show you the table and chairs I built for Amy for Christmas. They're in the basement."
Ellen followed him down the stairs and ran her hand approvingly over the smooth tabletop. "Oh, she'll love this. You did a good job."
Mr. Bennett put his arm around Ellen's shoulders and pulled her toward him. She
felt uncomfortable but said, "I have to go now. The kids will be looking for me."
Mr. Bennett reached down to kiss Ellen on the forehead and began unbuttoning her
bulky wool snowsuit.
Panic seized her as she tried to move toward the stairs but he restrained her.
Quickly, he began unzipping his pants and Ellen began to cry. Looking past him, she
saw a bin full of coal and thought, "He's going to kill me and hide my body under
that coal where no one will ever find me."
Terror-stricken, she tried to fight him off but he persisted.
Remembering that her father had taught her and her siblings about the power in Jesus' name, she began pleading aloud, "Jesus, help me. Jesus, please help me."
A verse came quickly to mind that Ellen and her family had memorized only two
weeks earlier: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it
and is safe."
Immediately, Ellen heard the front door open upstairs. Mrs. Bennett called out, "Richard, I forgot my checkbook so I came back to get it."
Shaking and fumbling, Mr. Bennett answered, "OK, honey, I'm down here in the basement showing Ellen the table and chairs I built for Amy. We'll be right up."
Tilting Ellen's face upward, he warned sternly, "This is going to be our secret, ok? Don't ever, ever tell anyone about it."
Ellen bolted up the basement stairs and out the front door, heading for home. In
the bedroom that she shared with her older sister, Ellen flung herself across the bed, sobbing. Her sister threw down the clothes she was hanging and rushed to Ellen.
"What's wrong?" she demanded, wrapping her arms around Ellen's trembling body.
"I can't tell you. He'll kill me."
After several failed attempts, her sister called their parents to come quickly.
Resisting their pleas to explain what had happened, Ellen through her tears finally recounted the event at the Bennett's house.
Ellen's father began to pray. "Lord Jesus, thank You for providing that tower of safety
for Ellen and for that name above all names, Jesus, to whom we can appeal for rescue during our times of greatest need."
Ellen's mother wrapped a blanket around the two girls huddled together on their bed and kissed them.
"Stay together. We'll be back shortly," she said. Taking her husband's hand, the couple began the short trip that every parent prays they'll never have to take and strode
purposefully across the road.
__________
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10) KJV
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age to trust in God. And she had wise parents who were not afraid to take steps to bring to light the wrong acts of another.
I am so glad for all three things, and I'm so thankful for God's protection. This well told story should serve as an example of how God protects and how wrong must be confronted.