Sharing Day 18 of Random Journal Day's "21 Days of Journaling in January". This will be the last one that I will share on my blog; the remaining prompts will be written in my journal...
The title for Day 18s prompt is "A Providential Moment - God's Providential Care in Your Life".
In The Message Bible, Psalm 23:4a says, "Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side."
And part of Psalm 116 says, "Death stared me in the face, hell was hard on my heels. Up against it, I didn't know which way to turn; then I called out to God for help: 'Please, God!' I cried out. 'Save my life!' "
There have been a few times He really had his hands full, taking care of me:
One night, as I was coming off the Interstate headed home, somebody hit me from behind and I spun completely in the opposite direction and ended up sitting in a grassy area beside the road - in between two posts and stopped just before hitting a small tree!!
Needless to say, I was pretty shook up, but not injured. The young man who hit me admitted he had been going too fast for the wet roads.
A couple of young women coming from work stopped to make sure everyone was OK, and stayed with me until the state troopers could come.
It could have been worse! God protected me from what could have been a really BAD accident!
Another time I was driving down the road; the traffic slowed a couple of times for a bus. Then a truck stopped traffic to back into a construction site. After the truck finished backing in, I continued to drive on - the next thing I knew, I was slamming on brakes and swerving to miss the truck that had pulled back out without any indication of doing so!
I had to stop for a couple of minutes to get control of my nerves! What would have happened had I hit the side of the truck?
Well, I actually have a couple more of these "near misses"!
There was the time I was driving down the road - ironically the same one as the incident above! - driving in the left lane. I had just come through the light when a car turned right from a side road, cutting more into the left lane (my lane!) instead of the right. There was a car to my left in the turn lane, too.
I don't know what I did to keep from being hit or hitting the other car; but there was no accident!
And...
One day I was walking across the parking lot at a local store. A van drove across my path heading for a parking space...
I had to stop walking and take a step back to keep from being hit.
And, last but certainly not least...
In September 1998, I was working as secretary for a local church. The day was fairly routine on that Wednesday afternoon, with many people coming in and out for various reasons. Eventually, there were only two people in the church: myself and the organist who was across a courtyard in the Sanctuary.
Around 3:00 pm a young man came to the door asking for work; he had rode up on a bicycle and when he knocked, I opened the door...he proceeded to point a gun at me and push me into the office. When I screamed, he hit me with the butt of the gun - and pushed me further into the fellowship hall.
Long story...shortened quite a bit! I suffered a severe beating as he kept asking for money and not finding any. He bound my hands behind my back and stuffed something into my mouth. Eventually, I just lay still as he rummaged through my purse, cursing because he found some blood on his shirt. I saw him turn his shirt inside out before he finally left.
The organist found me a short time later and called 911; she stayed with me until rescue came, checked me out, and took me to the hospital. I had a number of incisions in my head that required staples; and other cuts that took stitches. Besides the bruises and soreness, my life was, once again, spared.
Now, I am not saying that God intervened and saved my life -
or am I?!
Because, I do feel He intervened in some way in each of these incidents. Perhaps He gave me the strength or courage or ability or something that enabled me to avert the accidents. Perhaps He gave me the idea to lie still after my attacker left in search of money, thinking I was either unconscious or dead!
Yes, God will guide me through Death Valley; He will lead me on the right course my life takes; He hears my cries in the face of death - and He "...makes things right..."
I don't have any reason to be afraid!
He will take care of me...
God will take care of you!
Apparently God isn't finished with me yet and has saved me...multiple times!
I am blessed to be alive and ready for whatever purpose God has for my life!
God's Providential Care?!
Yes, God does take care of us...
(As a side note to this, the attacker was caught and is serving several lifetime sentences; with no possibility of parole...he was a habitual offender and attacked a minister at another church the very next week after my attack).
