It was Christmas Day … hubby, our daughter, and I were on a road trip to visit family for Christmas.
It was raining … heavy raining! The road mist and spray were so bad that the sight distance in front of us was limited and obscured in the mist.
We were driving on the freeway, in the center lane of three lanes … when suddenly the truck in front of us to the left hydroplaned and lost control!
The truck careened out of control to the right, passing directly in front of us … crossing all three lanes of the freeway … where it bumped into a concrete wall on the far-right shoulder … thereupon bouncing off and being spun in a 360-degree circle in the middle of the freeway … as the momentum then carried the truck back across all three lanes of the freeway, crossing directly in front of us once again! … whereupon it crashed head-first into the concrete median divider!
At the moment the truck crashed into the concrete median divider, a car was coming up on our left-side. This car was now suddenly blocked by the crashed truck and was about to T-bone directly into the side of the truck at high-impact! The back end of the crashed truck was now sticking halfway out into the fast-lane.
All of this occurring in milliseconds!
Just as our car was about to clear the back end of the truck, the car to our left (to avoid hitting the truck) instinctively swerved over into our lane! I fully expected to hear scraping of metal as our cars collided, and braced for our car being thrown out of control to the right, by the impact! (other cars were behind us and to our right)
But miraculously (much to my shock!), in those frozen milliseconds, there was no scraping of metal! In the tiniest sliver of space, the car to our left managed to squeeze through the gap, with both our vehicles miraculously clearing the end of the truck! And not a scratch on either of our cars!
Having cleared the crash, we immediately pulled over on the left shoulder of the freeway! … in front of the crashed truck.
Smoke was pouring out of the engine of the crashed truck! All the airbags were deployed! Were the people ok?!? We feared the worst!
Cars, coming at high speed, continued to swerve at the very last minute to avoid hitting the back end of the truck, which was now blocking the fast-lane. It was gravely dangerous!!
Without even thinking, hubby hopped out and ran as fast as he could back to the truck to see if the people were ok. Our daughter was immediately on 911 giving details to get help out there as fast as possible!
It was gravely dangerous! The rain was pouring down heavy! The spray and mist from the rain obscured all sight distance! Cars approaching at high speed could not see the accident! Not until they were right upon it! At which point they swerved dangerously at the very last moment, into the middle lane, to avoid it.
It was gravely dangerous! Hubby was on this side of the truck trying to help get the passenger out, while at any moment a high-speed car, unable to swerve, could have accidentally hit the back end of the truck … sending it sliding forward and crashing into the median … thereby crushing and killing hubby instantaneously!
Two other cars had pulled over on the right shoulder, and an older gentleman (probably late 60’s or early 70’s) ran across all three lanes of the freeway to help! The driver of the crashed truck was able to get out. The passenger door was wedged shut, due to bent metal, so hubby had to bend the door slightly in order for the passenger to get out. Miraculously both occupants of the truck were ok. (the truck had done exactly what it had been designed to do!)
While helping the people get out of the truck, hubby, the older gentleman, and both occupants of the truck could have been killed at any moment! It was gravely dangerous! … as car, after car, after car came high-speed right at the truck (now blocking the fast lane), and then at the very last moment swerved to avoid it.
I sat frozen in our car, watching that back corner of the truck, as every second a high-speed car narrowly missed it! While the rain dumped, and the spray and mist obscured all sight.
God protected hubby’s life!
There is no reason hubby should be alive today. God covered hubby, angels surrounded the crash scene, and God protected hubby’s life!
Christmas morning, sitting there on the side of the freeway in the pouring-down rain, my faith was sight!
God has given us His Word, the Bible. I believe, by faith, what God has told us in His Word. I can’t see God. I can’t see spiritual forces! I can’t see angels … or demons. I can’t see the spiritual war and struggle between the spiritual forces of good and the spiritual forces of evil. But I believe … by faith!
And as I sat there Christmas morning, on the side of the freeway, staring death directly in the face! … everything I believe about God and supernatural forces became sight for me!
I am writing this today, on December 27, and the wind is intense! The tall trees in the ravine behind our house are swaying wildly back and forth in the strong intermittent gusts of wind! I can’t see the wind. But I can see the effects of the wind. I can see the tall skinny trees swaying wildly to and fro! … and the boughs and branches of the trees being whipped by the wind!
I can see something which is unseen.
On Christmas morning, sitting there on the side of the freeway, staring death directly in the face … I could “see” the unseen angels surrounding us and protecting us! My faith was sight! As car, after car, after car came high-speed right at the truck, then last-minute swerved just narrowly missing the back-end … an unseen wall of angels was there! An unseen wall of angels was guarding and protecting that back end of the truck and safely moving all approaching traffic over and around the end of the truck.
My faith was sight!
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ … He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” – Psalm 91:1-4
“He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways …” – Psalm 91:11
Most of life is normal, ordinary, everyday stuff. We know our life has value, purpose, and meaning. We know God has us here, in this place, with these people, doing this particular thing with our life for a reason.
We believe, by faith, that it matters.
We believe, by faith, that God is doing something significant with our life. We believe, by faith, that our life is making a difference for God’s Kingdom.
We believe, by faith. Yet we rarely see any evidence of supernatural occurrences.
We obey, by faith, what God tells us to do. But we rarely see.
And then we stare death directly in the face … and God spares our life. God spared hubby’s life, as well as mine and our daughter’s! Nobody was hurt … at all.
The older gentleman who ran across all three lanes of the freeway (and then back again) … God spared his life! The occupants of the truck … God spared their lives! They were not hurt.
No other cars were involved in the accident, at all. Which is an absolute miracle! Nobody was hurt … at all.
That right there is supernatural! That right there is faith … made sight!
This Christmas, God’s gift to us was life. God’s gift to us was another day to live … the gift of time to be together, for yet another precious day!
God spared our life for a reason. There is a very specific reason my soul and hubby’s is still in this frail human body on this planet earth. There is some important reason for which God still has us here, living and breathing. There is some important thing God has placed us here to do.
So we live! We live with the knowledge that our life matters!
Today, just a normal ordinary day, when it doesn’t feel like anything “important” is going on … God left us alive on this earth for today!
And this next week, when hubby’s work blows up with disasters and drama! … God left hubby alive on this earth for that! Because whatever hubby does, even in the mess of all that “ick” … it matters!
And this next year of 2024 … whatever disasters are awaiting us in the unknown of tomorrow … God left us alive on this earth for that! Because He has a plan for our life! And it’s important!
So we live! We live by faith!
We live, giving it everything we’ve got!
We live, loving with all we are!
Your life matters too! You … your life matters!
God has you here for a reason! God has you here for a purpose!
Your life has meaning! Your life has value! Your life has great worth!
Your life is important!
Never ever lose sight of the fact that God has given you this day as a gift. Your life matters!
