God is faithful. That doesn’t mean we will never have trouble in our lives, but I have found that promise to be true in my own lifetime and time and time again. Recently, I had the opportunity to experience it in a new way.
I went to Oklahoma on a family matter and was having a pity party because things did not go as planned. The situation has seemed endless, and I just kept asking why.
Since everything else was on hold, I was hoping to get home in time to attend my grandsons’ tennis match in another city. It was their last opportunity to play together before the older boy would graduate from high school later this month.
I got a late start, and the trip began badly when I got on I 44 and had a blowout on my right front tire. I was alone, and a bit unnerved, but I had AAA and some kind gentlemen who stopped to help me. Fortunately, I was only 12 miles from a Walmart where I could get a new tire.
The real test of my faith came several hours later when I was on a dark, deserted highway and came to a one-lane passage with a stoplight saying I needed to wait seven minutes before going forward. It was ten-thirty at night, and I was scared. I had no idea what might be in the trees to the side of the road.
I don’t know about you, but I am always more afraid in the dark. In fact, I was terrified.
As I waited for the light to change, I prayed. I had already seen God’s presence in the daylight as he provided help with the tire, but this was an entirely different thing. When the light changed, I started up an incline on a one-lane bridge with no side rails. It seemed to go on forever but couldn’t have been over a five-minute drive.
Things in Oklahoma had not gone as I had hoped, but I believe God took the challenges of this trip to show me he is ever-present in daylight or dark, in victory or disappointment. He is faithful, and even in our darkest moments, He does not leave us alone. The trip will end; the family issue will end. The choice becomes ours to recognize His hand in our lives and take heart as we claim his promises.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified…The Lord
Your God goes with you. He will never leave nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6