September 25, 2024
LISTEN TO AUDIO
The sound of a loud crash ripped through the silence and woke me from a deep sleep, just in time to see the hood of my car come crashing through the windshield. I was cruising at about 70 miles per hour on Interstate 10 just west of Sealy and had fallen asleep at the wheel. I’d finished my last final just hours before and hadn’t slept much that week. My car bounced off the guard rail of the overpass. If I’d veered off just a few seconds sooner, we would have missed the guard rail entirely and gone over the side. It did major damage to my car but neither my friend nor I was scratched.
In that moment, I realized how close I’d come to tragedy. Throughout my life, God has protected me from harm. I’ve survived multiple car wrecks, barely missed being hit by a train and was almost electrocuted twice. With each of these close calls, I thought it was luck or coincidence. But on reflection, I believe there was something more, Someone greater involved. I believe the Lord was with me, even when I didn’t realize or acknowledge it, and that for whatever reason, He was guiding and protecting me.
The Bible speaks the truth about God’s presence, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10, NKJV
Someone once said, “The one thing I absolutely need is the one thing I can never lose - God’s presence with me.”
No matter where I was – on that highway, in those accidents and near misses, and even in everyday moments – God’s hand was protecting me. Why has He saved me from harm? I don’t know, but I’m going to ask Him when I see Him! And, in the meantime, I’m going to thank Him and I’m going to praise Him!
I bet you can remember times in your life when God protected you from harm? Perhaps it was a near miss, an illness you recovered from, a choice that steered you away from danger? Maybe it was luck? But maybe it was God, guiding you and protecting you even when you didn’t acknowledge His presence, or maybe when you didn’t even acknowledge His existence.
God still loved you. He was with you then … and He’s with us now.
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, the Lord is with us, guiding, protecting and loving us, every moment of our lives!
QUESTION
When has God protected you from harm?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for Your constant presence in our lives, even when we don’t recognize it. Please forgive us for those times when we’ve taken Your protection for granted. Help us to be more aware of Your hand at work in our lives. Teach us to walk in faith with the assurance that wherever we go, You are with us, guiding us, holding us and loving us.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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