The Unknown: Something to Be Thankful For

                   

I was on my way home from classes early Monday evening...it was rush hour.  .  . in the last few minutes of my "mini-journey home" the Holy Spirit seemed to burden my heart to pray. . . so that's what I did.  

For two days prior to that, I had been reading in one of my devotionals how Abraham had sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac.  The servant had prayed for God to grant him success.  And basically that word for "success" is 'qarah' "to be put in the right place at the right time."  The devotions were actually referencing success in our every day lives and the daily duties we each have.  But the Holy Spirit pointed out the fact that we have been given an assignment too. . and that's to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. . .to share the Gospel with others, and allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of the lost and bring them to Christ, Who is our Bridegroom.  The saved are His Bride.  Is there anyone out there that we can introduce to Christ, the Bridegroom?   

As I was almost home, that's what I felt burdened to pray:  "God, put me in the right place, at the right time, to bring someone to Christ...to add them to our family, the Bride of Christ."  

However, as I switched to the middle turning lane on the main road outside our neighborhood, traffic was heavy.  As I began to approach the street that I was going to turn "left," I noticed in the middle turning lane ahead of me a large construction truck barreling down the lane, head-on, in my direction.  I began to slow down to a "crawl" as I wondered what that driver was doing.   Was he going to turn left into the neighborhood across the street from mine??  Based on his speed, I quickly realized he was not going to be turning and was headed straight for me.  By this time I had come to a complete stop, prior to the place where I would've been waiting to turn left into my neighborhood.  When the driver did not turn into the other neighborhood and kept coming towards me, I began to honk the horn, and at the last minute the driver swerved to miss hitting me!!    All I remember seeing were the headlights of the truck, the color red and a ladder on the side of the truck.  After he swerved, I began to approach my street to turn left into our neighborhood, and realized I had stopped my car far in advance of where I should have been.  


God had placed me at the right place, and at the right time, for had I been waiting where I should have been turning left, the truck would have plowed into me and probably pushed me into the backseat of my car.  

It took a minute or two for me to fathom what had just happened, and what may have happened if the circumstances had been different.   Needless to say, it shook me up. . but I am so thankful for God's protection, and how amazing that as I was praying the words for God to put me in the right place at the right time, He did just that. 

Wow!   Anyway, tonight's Thanksgiving service at church gave me a moment to share this testimony of praise with others... however, I began to realize that I do not know WHAT damage, injuries (or worse) that God spared me from.  Is it difficult to be truly thankful for something that we're not really sure of?  I could have been killed, or severely injured...more than likely I'd be in the hospital right now, unable to even post a blog or prepare tomorrow's meal.    My family may have been preparing for my funeral instead of Thanksgiving dinner.  Who knows?  

This reminds me of our salvation.  God in His infinite mercy, has made a way for us to be SPARED from eternal damnation and separation from Him . .and that Escape is Jesus and His shed blood on Calvary.  At some point in time, if you're saved, you have been rescued from something that you will never experience.  Thank the LORD!   

I don't know the exact details of what God spared me from on Monday evening in that near head-on collision.  All I do know is I was helplessly sitting in that lane, trapped by traffic on both sides, with a big red truck barreling in my direction. GOD in His infinite mercy and Divine Protection, caused that driver to be able to swerve and miss hitting me at the last minute.  God spared me from something that I will never experience.   Even though I will never know what He saved me from that day, I am still thankful. 

I may be unable to grasp the extent of what He did for me on Monday, and especially on Calvary, but I pray He would constrain my heart by His love and cause me to be overwhelmed with thankfulness!  And I pray this for you too! :)

May He continue to put you and me in the right place, 

at the right time, to grant us success in our endeavor 

to win souls for Christ!!

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!!

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your protection over me, especially on Monday.  Thank You for burdening me to pray on the way home that afternoon...I have no idea what may have happened; all I do know is that because of Your Sovereign control over our lives, You caused me to stop my car further back, and that gave the driver enough time to swerve out of my lane.  Without a doubt I am sitting here tonight, because of Your unmerited favor and Divine Presence in my life.  And I owe this all to Your Son, Jesus!!   Thank You so much for Your many blessings---blessings that I am totally unable to grasp. . .especially the blessing of never knowing what eternal life apart from You will be like.  This is because of Your mercy, and grace through Jesus Christ.  And because of Him, I am wrapped up, in Christ, forever Yours, for all eternity.  I thank You, In Jesus' Name, Amen.