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
