Tuesday, February 12, 2013

God Saved My Life Today

God saved my life today. 

On most mornings for a good part of the spring and fall when I leave for work the sun is just rising.  As I pull out of my driveway the sky is starting to turn pink and orange and yellow while the sun is still hidden beneath the horizon.  As I drive westward, I sometimes pull over just to see the beauty of the sunrise.  I have gotten out of my car and cried and praised God for the magnificence of a new day.  To me there is nothing better than a Central Texas sunrise anywhere.  I am always amazed at the people that I pass.  They are driving towards the east with the sunrise on their left and they are oblivious to the glory and the indescribable beauty of God's majesty!  It reminds me that Jesus is our bright Morning Star!

The weather has been dreary the last few days where I live, but I still find joy in the fact that it is the day the Lord has made, one that I have never lived before, nor will I ever live again.  There is still beauty in gloomy days if you look for it.  When the rain falls as a constant mist and the fog is beginning to settle on the land, it is as though there is a blanket that has been laid on us to keep us warm.  We are limited in what we can see, so we have to focus on the here and now so to speak, not on what lies ahead.  We must be careful in what we do, making each step count because we don't know what is before us.  Although we can't see the sun, we know it is there, rising in to the sky, once again filling the earth with light and warmth. 

As I said earlier, it has been dreary outside these last few days, and I don't enjoy driving in gloomy weather when I have an extremely high deer population to deal with.  So it was this morning when I kissed my husband goodbye, waved, and shouted "I love you" and as I drove away, I prayed that God would keep all the animals off the road for me.  And I threw in a caveat, to please let all the drivers know what they are doing, as a matter of fact, Lord, please let me pass as few cars as possible.  While driving I began to pray in the Spirit, something I do many mornings.  The thought occurred to me how we can hear God much better when we practice praying in the Spirit as much as possible. 

I pulled out of my neighborhood onto the 60mph county round and was picking up speed when another vehicle came up behind me.  I saw that he was in a hurry so I pulled over to give him free access.  All it cost me was about five seconds of my time and the comfort of knowing that someone wasn't riding my tail lights.  I thought to myself, "maybe I'm supposed to slow down."  Usually when I get a very slow car or truck in front of me, I resign myself to knowing that I will be working a few extra minutes that afternoon because of the time I will be losing in the morning.  I also feel in my heart that maybe God placed that driver in front of me to keep me from some disaster down the road.  Maybe it's a deer running across the road that I will never be aware of, or maybe an accident just up ahead.

About three miles drive up the road, a car was traveling in the other lane towards me.  For some reason the driver just started coming over the line in my direction.  I don't know if he (I don't know if it was a man or woman, so for ease of reading I will refer to the driver as 'he') was texting, talking on the phone, having a heart attack or anything else.  I only knew that I was traveling at 60mph and he was probably going about the same.  It was a small car, white or silver, and that is about all I can tell you.  I hit the brakes and was going to pull to the right side of the road, but he kept coming in that direction, so I steered ahead, still traveling, but with considerably less speed.  My car skidded forward on the wet road, and as the approaching car neared, he must have seen me or realized what was happening and pulled his car over into his own lane.  The miss was close, but just the same, it was a miss, and I was safe in God's hands.  As I watched the driver proceed by way of my rear view mirror, he once again went way over the line and corrected.  Thank God there were no other cars behind me. 

I immediately thanked God for my protecting my life.  I thanked him for the angels that surrounded me today.  I had prayed specifically for safe passage this morning, and God showed Himself faithful.  He saved my life today, and I recognize that, and am thankful for it. 

So, if I hadn't pulled over for the first car, who by the way was now past the point of where any impact would have been, where would I have been on the road?  Was I lucky?  Not at all.  I was blessed!  I had asked God to show me mercy today, and He did.  I went about the next 30 minutes of my drive thanking God and singing worship songs.  When I was about five miles from work, although it was still drizzling, the sky became very yellowy bright, as if the sun was just behind a thin cloud wanting to burst forth.  I had a good feeling.  I knew that my Savior was beside me.  My Bright Morning Star, Jesus, my salvation. 

I pray that your day is as blessed as mine, dear Reader.  Take time, enjoy the beauty of every single day, rain or shine.  Know that the sun will come out again, that the clouds are only temporary.  Don't let the fog steal the beauty of what God has placed in close distance to you.  Focus on what is right at your hand.  And when He saves your life in those little moments, be sure to thank Him!  Have a blessed day!

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”  Revelation 22:16

"You’re my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb. Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide. Free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you. I’ve put my life in your hands. You won’t drop me, you’ll never let me down."  Psalm 31:3-5 Message

 




11 comments:

  1. Deirdre,

    What a great testimony of your faith and thanksgiving to the Lord.
    Like you, I marvel in God's wonderous works. When it storms and rains, it does make us anxious, but there is always beauty in it. I agree with you.

    Thank God that you are okay.

    Cherrye

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    1. Thank you for your well wishes, Cherrye, and may God bless and keep you!

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  2. Ditto to Cherrye, and may you always enjoy the beauty of Creation.
    Yours are inspiring words that warm the heart.
    Marta

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    1. Thank you, Marta, God's endless beauty is everywhere if we but just look! It's here for us to enjoy, and can be even better than ice cream (my favorite)!

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  3. Hi Dear Friend,

    As I read this blog article this evening, a verse of scripture came to me from one of my most favorite Psalms, Psalm 91. The verse is so true in the situation that happened to you and I will paraphrase it according to my own experiences with this Psalm, "He gives his angels charge over you to keep you in all of your ways. They have been charged to protect you so and keep you from dashing your feet even against any stones." That is my version. The verse states the guarantee that a child of God has when they fully rely and trust in God. Of course, this verse refers to Jesus Christ, but it also refers to us. That morning the angels of the LORD surrounded you. You were not alone. That car came at you, but had to swerve out of your way because his eyes were opened to see that someone stood before you and that was an angel or angels of God.

    You have a vital mission to fulfill, Deirdre. I was always told, you can tell how important your mission is by the amount of resistance, persecution, and danger you face. I believe that. The greater your mission, the greater the trials and the opposition. The power of your voice in speaking, writing, singing measures the strength of your mission. A strong voice in the LORD that reaches out to others is dangerous for the evil spirits that cannot be seen and are ruling this world. I am so happy that the car swerved back in his lane. The man or woman had to. There was no other choice because you were surrounded by the angels of the LORD.

    Thus the presence of an angel of the LORD protected you and although you didn't see that angel, he was there right before your car and when that driver looked up, the invisible became visible for him and he saw that angel sitting on your front hood, and he had to get back in his lane. God has given his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. May I say here, Hallelujah. Our God reigns.

    May God continue to hover over you and keep you in all his ways as you fulfill his purpose and mission for your life.

    Love you Lady and keep marching forward.

    Shalom,

    Patricia

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  4. What a blessing, my dear Deirdre. He is with us. Whether the day be filled will sunshine or dreary with the rain, His presence can surely be felt. Thank you for sharing your experience and bless you for such .professing such a strong faith.

    BTW You might be interested in reading my latest story on Storylane, Angel Eyes. Here is the link: http://www.storylane.com/stories/show/1108931325/angels-eyes#rroverlay

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  5. Deirdre,
    This was a great post. I can almost picture being there. I can relate to the close call. It certainly makes you stop, think and reflect. I'm glad you're ok and you remember He's in total control.

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    1. Thank you, Yves, I am very grateful to God, and agree, He is in total control!

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  6. And this is why I keep youin my prayers along with all those I love. It was so nice to read one of your wonderful blogs--I miss not getting them. After thanking God each morning that I awake to greet another day, I ask his protection for my family and loved ones--you are among them

    Love, Micki

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    1. I'm happy to be back, Micki, I have been so busy writing my new devotional for pregnant women to read to their unborn baby, and still have a bit to go. I hope to be able to write more often. I love you, thank you for the prayers, I receive them!

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  7. Beautiful thoughts Deirdre. Your steadfast faith is an inspiration. Glad you are safe after that driving incident. Lastly, I also love looking ast the sky. How can you not see God there. His presence is visble every time we look up. Thank you for this post! ~ Peggy

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