Just Luck or The Hand of God?

Yesterday, as I was returning from a trip to VA, I was reminded of the scripture found in Psalm 91:11-16:

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.'”

Since November 1st, I have been traveling back and forth from Pennsylvania to Virginia to be with my daughter and her newborn son. What a blessing that has been. I spent the first two weeks just getting to know our first grandson, plus helping my daughter out with things around the house that she was unable to do in the first two weeks. On my way home from my third week of being in VA, I took the same route that I normally travel but something unexpectedly happened along the way.

As I was passing a truck on Interstate 81, I noticed two workers with cutting machinery on the median. It was an especially windy day, and I was anxious to get off this section of the Interstate and onto VA37. All of a sudden I noticed a huge rock coming towards my car from the median. It literally bounced across the median, and I thought it was going to go through my windshield.

My first reaction was to ask God to help me. The rock hit the front of my car and literally bounced back towards the median from where it came. Some people would call this “luck”, but I call it “the hand of God” who was my protector in that very instant that the rock rolled toward me. I did not pull over and assess the damage until I got to Altoona where I met my husband for lunch, and we looked at the front of my car. The headlight on the driver’s side was smashed in, and there was an aftermath of broken glass inside the headlight.

I left the restaurant and went directly to my insurance company and was given a toll-free number to call to make a claim so that an adjuster could look at and assess the damage. Fortunately, we have comprehensive coverage which will pay for the repairs.

Since this incident, my mind has thought about all the scenarios that “could have happened but didn’t”, and I am eternally grateful to my Lord for “commanding his angels to guard and protect me.” He truly is “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Have you been close to an accident or unforeseen circumstance where you knew undoubtedly that God protected you? I’d love to hear your story.

Blessings,
Yvonne

Scriptures to Live By: Protection

Protection: the art of protecting; the state of being protected; one that protects. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

How many of you can recall a situation where you definitely felt God’s hand of protection on your life and/or on the lives of your loved ones? There have been times that I can recall how God protected me and/or my husband, and I would like to share one of them with you.

One incident that stands out to me was when my husband and I were on our way to church for the youth group meeting, and our car slid on the ice and spun out of control. We almost landed in the ditch; but thankfully our car only got turned around in the opposite direction, and there was no other car around at the time. Even though we were visibly shaken, we both breathed a word of thanksgiving and headed off to church. There have been many times throughout our lives where God’s hand of protection intervened on our behalf, and we definitely felt safe and “under His wings.”

Some of the scriptures that relate to God’s hand of protection and keeping us safe are found in the Book of Psalms. I have recorded just a few as a reminder that God does keep us in His care and watches out for us.

Psalm 4:8: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

Psalm 32:7: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Psalm 27:4-6: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle, and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me, at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.”

Psalm 91:4; 11; 14-16: “He will cover you with his feathers; and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (vs. 11) For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (vs.14-16) Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 18:1-3: “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. he is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Psalm 145:20: “The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”

May the God of protection keep you from all harm and keep you safe in His care throughout your days.

Blessings,
Yvonne