May is the month of graduations … from preschool all the way to PhD’s. It is a time for proud family members to attend ceremonies and celebrate the achievements and milestones of the younger generation. So, a couple of Thursdays ago, I was ready at 9:00am to be picked up by my daughter and son-in-law for the long drive to Lubbock. Their nephew and my grandson would graduate the next day from Texas Tech University. His parents were hosting a celebratory dinner that night in Lubbock.
After he loaded my things into the car, my son-in-law made a U-turn to be headed in the right direction. But he immediately pulled to the curb so we could bow our heads and ask the Lord to deliver us safely to our destination.
It was more than 500 miles and an estimated eight hours away.
The fastest route took us up to I-20. Nearly 100 miles were mapped for us by GPS on that interstate. It is one of my least favorite freeways because of the excessive number of huge trucks that use it … and that day was no exception. About 30 minutes after we joined I-20, my daughter was driving in the left lane passing a line of four or five 18-wheelers. Just as we came alongside one of those monsters, the driver started coming into our lane – probably because he had decided to pass the trucks in front of him. He obviously had not seen us and my daughter started honking the horn and my son-in-law in the passenger seat began frantically waving his arms to attract the truck driver’s attention.
Normally there is a decent shoulder for some wiggle room, but instead a guardrail was very close to the pavement because of a drop-off. The Lord’s angels must have taken over in that moment since miraculously the truck did not sideswipe us and we did not hit the guardrail.
All of this happened in a matter of seconds. There was silence for a bit in the car because all of us were stunned into speechlessness. The first words out of our mouths were praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for delivering us. As we analyzed what had just happened, there was no other conclusion than that we had been miraculously protected!
About three hours later, we reached the outskirts of Lubbock. Ominous clouds had gathered and rain was predicted any moment. The highway was a divided four-lane and we were in the inside lane heading north. All at once the wind began to blow ferociously and suddenly, we were engulfed in a massive dust storm. Visibility was absolutely zero. It was the most helpless, terrifying feeling imaginable. My daughter was at the wheel again. There were cars in front of, behind and beside us – but all had become totally invisible.
In that moment, those rain clouds dumped their contents and obliterated the dust. Enough visibility was restored instantly so that the feelings of panic ceased. No driver had slammed on their brakes which would have caused a massive pileup. Everyone had somehow stayed in their lane. It was like control of driving the cars had been momentarily taken over by angels.
The rain only lasted a very few minutes as we continued on to our lodging to check in. You would think the entire episode had been a bad dream – except that our vehicle was a sight to behold covered in splotches of mud water. Nothing that a good car wash would not cure!
The faithfulness of God is constantly referred to the Bible – from the Old Testament that reveals how He never fails to keep His covenants … to the New Testament that is filled with a multitude of His irrevocable promises. Every day (some more than others) brings constant demonstrations of His faithfulness to believers who trust in Him. Praise His Name forever!
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
