Shattered – But God Is With You

In my early 20s, I was working in a rundown industrial area of the city. On this particularly bitter day, my boyfriend drove me to work because he needed to borrow my car. Making our way from one frozen intersection to the next, I wasn’t thinking much about anything but breakfast. Then, as we turned off the highway and headed under the last icicle-covered overpass, I was suddenly jolted upright by a deafening crash. The ice had formed enormous three or four feet long stalactites, the diameter of footballs, all along the bottom of the overpass.  One or more had landed on the car just as we were driving under. There was not an inch of glass that hadn’t been shattered – striated with crack lines, making it impossible to see through.

Relief

I was glad I had not been driving. I have always been jumpy, and based on the pounding I can still feel in my chest when I think back to that day, I have no real confidence that I would not have done something dangerous like slam hard on my brakes when it happened. On the other hand, my then-boyfriend (now husband) is un-scarable.  He doesn’t startle; he doesn’t jump; he calmly James Bonds everything. Quickly opening the window, he slowed down and pulled over without incident, despite the heavy rush hour traffic. He drove me the rest of the way to work, looking out the window, and then took it to a glass shop nearby to get fixed.

Blessings

I wasn’t thrilled about having to replace the windshield, but I was glad I hadn’t been driving. I wonder how often I have been upset about the shattered windshields of my life instead of thanking God for providing the perfect solution for a situation. When I was in the drama of the accident, I couldn’t feel anything but fear. It wasn’t until much later that day that I breathed a sigh of relief at the circumstance. If that were to have happened anyway – I reckon God had really been looking out for me and prepared ahead of time for my protection.

God Is With You Through Trials

Our problem isn’t that God got it wrong; the problem is that we focus on the negative and sometimes miss how He provides for us in the midst of our disasters. Bad things happen – God never promised they wouldn’t. Instead, He promises that He will be with us through them; He will protect us and give us refuge; He will lead and strengthen us on our journey or give us a means of escape. I am grateful the He is such an excellent driver.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”

Psalm 91:4 “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

The meme is not my creation, nor could I find the original creator.