A Gentle Reminder

I think that every once in a while we need a reminder from God. He reminds us that everything is in His hands. And, indeed it is.

I meant to write this a couple of months ago when I received such a reminder from God. I don't know why I didn't write it then, but other circumstances in my life have brought the thought back to the "top."

My reminder was pretty scary. I was traveling home and rounded the corner on a pretty busy street that no one seems to know of or obey the speed limit. Around the corner is the entrance to a large apartment building complex. Several cars were stopped in the road, behind one that was trying to cross traffic to enter the complex. I stopped in line and waited. Then I heard it, the screeching of tires. It amazes me how time seemed to stand still and I remember everything so clearly.

I remember looking in front of me to see if the screeching was there. Nope. I looked in my rear view mirror and there it was! A large truck right behind me! There was no where to go. I had room between my car and the one in front of me to move out of line to the left - into oncoming traffic. Hmmm, that didn't seem like a great idea. If I pulled out to the right, the guard rail was going to stop me, hopefully, before I got too far down the steep embankment. I was stuck!

What happened??!!

I put my hands on the steering wheel, closed my eyes and said, "Lord, help me out here!" It seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds, I'm sure, and the screeching stopped. I opened my eyes . . . NOTHING! Not even a "bump" from behind me. I couldn't believe it! So, of course, as I sat there shaking, my next words were, "THANK YOU, LORD!"

As I drove away (the car at the front of the line was finally able to cross traffic and enter the complex), I looked in the rear view mirror. The truck was one of those really big trucks, like a 1-1/2 ton, pulling a trailer full of landscaping equipment. The trailer had darn near jack knifed on the guy.

The rest of the way home I just kept thanking the Lord. I also thought about the predicament I had been in. I didn't have a choice. I had to lean on the Lord for His help, as far as I'm concerned! My other choices would have led to, in the very least, damage to my vehicle and maybe others. Had I chosen to pull into the oncoming traffic, only the Lord knows who would have been hurt and to what extent.

So, like I said, sometimes we need a reminder. I don't think I needed one, but apparently God did! :-) He does care about us and does answer our prayers! I have known that God knows me and loves me anyway, for a number of years now.

He gave me an INSTANT response to a prayer! We don't always get the answer to prayer that we want and I can't say that, had the truck hit me, the Lord didn't answer the prayer either. In fact, God surprised me!

When I put my hands on that steering wheel, closed my eyes and said my quick prayer, I fully expected to be rear ended by the truck and possibly even pushed into the car in front of me. I just didn't want to be hurt too badly. Honestly, it never occurred to me that the truck would stop in time and I would not be injured at all! On top of that, my vehicle wasn't damaged!

Now I just have to use the reminder, and I do! God loves us all and wants us to look to Him for answers, guidance and help, among other things. I wonder if the driver of the landscaping truck . . . maybe God had a message or reminder for him too . . .