One night in college, my fiancé and I drove out to purchase a cooler. The next day we planned to drive from Pennsylvania to meet college friends in South Carolina for our college senior trip. Returning to school we stopped at a major intersection, the first car at the red light. When the light turned green my fiancé accelerated then abruptly slammed the brakes. The next second a black car flashed past our bumper, never slowing or stopping as the driver sped through the intersection. Shaken, I asked what had prompted him to stop.
“In my peripheral vision, I saw the car beside us halt.” He drove slowly through the intersection, both of us quietly contemplating what could have happened.
Parking the car on campus, we turned to each other, both pale. The excitement and anticipation of our celebratory trip long gone. We walked along the creek, stopping near our favorite bridge. We prayed, thanking God for sparing us the accident that could have taken our lives, and for wisdom and safety as we planned to celebrate graduation.
It’s been twenty-five years since that near-miss. I still catch my breath when recounting that experience.
Here’s what I do know: God has me. He knows what’s coming at me each morning as I rise. He intricately weaves together the conversations and events in my day to place me where He wants me each and every moment. And when those bad experiences happen, He is there. I have not been sheltered from every negative event in life. I am sure I don’t know all of the near-misses like the one above. But when I do see those almost-catastrophes, it reminds me to stop. Acknowledge He is in control. And, allow my heart to sing His praise again.
We are promised in Matthew 10:29-31 that God knows all, sees all, and cares about every detail of our lives. Although I am one in over eight billion people, He knows. He catalogs. He cares.
I bet you have your own memories. Please share your story in the comments below to encourage others!
Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you that not a sparrow falls from the sky without Your knowledge. And Thank You for Your promise that we are even more valuable to You than the sparrows. Thank You we are not alone, one in an enormous mass of people here on this earth. Thank You for holding each one of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.