I was driving along on my way to our family vacation a couple of weeks ago, chatting merrily with my passengers about all the fun things that we were in for this trip, when I got a rather nasty surprise. Just north of Las Vegas, in the left land of I-15, the rear tire blew out on the boat we were towing. In 30 seconds we went from excited about our vacation to scared to death, to intensely grateful that everyone was okay, to very disappointed that our car and boat were both completely totaled.
There is no doubt in my mind that God had is hand on us the whole time. There was a big rig to our right that could have thrown us like a rag doll if we had connected with him. There were much more treacherous stretches of road where we would have gone off a much higher embankment. Further, the whole accident happened on the median instead of in the traffic lanes. This list goes on.
Still, I can’t help but think down deep…why me? I suppose we all want to have a little bit of a pity party when things go unexpectedly. And, of course, this is nothing compared to getting the news that you have cancer, or a family member is sick or dying. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to praise God when things are going well in my life, and complain bitterly when my life comes crashing in around me. But a friend once told me during a crisis, “Well Lance, I don’t think that came as any surprise to God at all!” Wow…he is absolutely right. God was not only with me during my crisis, but can and has already used it to grow me and teach me, and extend his mercy to me in ways that I am often not receptive to during my ‘normal life.’ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” [Deut. 31:6]