Marks of Faithfulness

This morning in my quiet time I was reading Psalm 86. I've been trying to memorize a verse every day this year, and I'd fallen behind in memorizing this wonderful chapter. Often when I read Psalms about God protecting us and defeating our enemies, I think of my enemy as my sin nature and the temptations that come against me. I consider them kind of metaphorical, you know? I was actually thinking a lot about that this morning. I had no idea God would literally answer my prayer today. 

 That picture is really amazing. If it weren't that those scratches might rust, I wouldn't want to do anything about them, just to remind me. Marks of faithfulness, that's what they are. That car should be smashed. But it isn't. I should be seriously hurt or killed. But I'm not.

I left work at 11:30 this morning to go enjoy dinner with my former boss and coworkers. I was a little late and wishing to get there on time, so I was hurrying. I got behind a small semi truck and trailer going 50 or 55, and it wasn't fast enough or me. I wanted to set my cruise at 60. So, the first time that it looked clear, I passed him. Or, that's what I was going to do. Here in Missouri the roads dip and rise a lot. I thought I could see clear for a quarter mile or so, but about the time that I drove up next to the trailer, a van popped over the hill. And not far away. I couldn't get in front of the truck, I couldn't go back behind. So, the only way to avoid the oncoming vehicle was to go on the shoulder. Now, I don't know how fast I was going, but it was pretty fast. I drove on the shoulder past the van and thought, "Okay, I'm gonna be alright." However, when I tried to get back on the road I was still going too fast(I had tried to not just slam on the brakes because I figured that would send me flying). I lost control and started careening back and forth, very very close to the semi. I was desperately trying to slow down(thinking, "This can NOT be happening to me! I'm going to crash with the semi!") and gain control, but it just wasn't happening. Finally, I must have jerked hard to the left because I spun around and off the road, sliding sideways into a fence. The barbed wire is actually what finally stopped me, even though I knocked a few fence posts down. So when it was all over I got out and found my car(actually not my car yet; I'm buying it from a friend!) all intact with the only damage being a busted tail light, part of the spoiler knocked off by the wire, and plenty of scratches. I was rather shook up to say the least. I was SO thankful that God protected me and saved me from what could have been a horrible accident!

After a couple hours spent talking to a neighbor, trooper, and my Dad and eventually getting my car out of the ditch, I switched vehicles with Dad and drove to lunch a few hours late. I thought of the quote by C.S. Lewis that I posted the other day:

 The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life- the life God is sending one day by day: what one calls one's 'real life' is a phantom of one's own imagination. C.S. Lewis

 

And I thought about how just this morning I prayed about that and asked God to help me see this things I think are "interruptions" as the things that he wants me to go through. All through those couple hours I saw God's hand taking care of me. Even when the Trooper gave me a court date. Just Monday I rather grudgingly decided to take a sick day next month to see a doctor. Turns out my court date is that same day. I have to wonder what God's greater purpose was in all of it, but I trust He did have one. I was able to praise the Lord to the kind people that stopped to help me, so maybe that affected them in some way. Hm, I just remembered that I've been praying for opportunities to share the gospel...=)

This afternoon when I finally got home I walked in the door and put my things away, and then I saw the 3x5 card that I had written the first verses of Psalm 86 on to help me memorize them. Wow.

Hear, O LORD, and answer me,
   for I am poor and needy.  

Guard my life, for I am devoted to you.
   You are my God; save your servant
   who trusts in you. 

Have mercy on me, O Lord,
   for I call to you all day long. Psalm 86:1-3

"I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness!" Ps 86:12, 13, &15