Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I must confess that recent days have been really difficult for me. It just seems like things have definitely not gone in the way that I anticipated them going. Even though plans were made to go one way, they were turned upside down. Let me explain.
Vicki and I had a friend come from Missouri, Cheryl, to visit with us for a few days. We wanted to give her a true taste of the Texas panhandle. So we were going to take her to the play Texas. We decided that Sunday evening would be the best.
On Sunday afternoon we started for Amarillo and were going to stop by Bryan and Charity’s to see them and drop off their dog. As we were driving on 60 going in, I asked Vicki what way to go. She said either way would be fine, I could pick. I decided to go on the south loop which would have less traffic.
As we were going around the loop, we were still on the two lane. As we went over an overpass, I saw a pickup pulling a boat on the on-ramp. I slowed down just in case he pulled on. About that time, he turned across the road to pull in a driveway.
I stomped on the brake and started sliding. Vicki and Cheryl were screaming and about that time we hit the boat trailer. The front of the car just folded up as we came to a stop. Then I said, “I guess we won’t be going to the play Texas!”
We were all okay, just really nerve wracked. We immediately got out of the car and looked everything over. Then I decided that I needed to get the car off the road if I could. I was able to get it moved off so it wouldn’t get hit by any oncoming traffic.
Cheryl called Charity so she could come get us. Vicki called 911 and in just a few minutes a Sheriff’s deputy came and directed traffic around us. Then the DPS came and started working the accident. Of course, then a tow truck came and picked up our car. Fortunately, the man’s boat wasn’t damaged, just the trailer, and they weren’t hurt.
As we talked about things later, we were just thankful that no one was hurt and we walked away from the accident. Yes, we were shaken up and dealt with that issue going into the evening. Charity took us to meet Danielle and she brought us home. As we settled in that evening, we were still a little goofy, but we were okay.
As I ran all of this through my mind, I was a little overwhelmed. Just watching Vicki struggle with what happened made me anxious. We talked about it, but she was still shaken up. It was a really tough time, yet God brought us through it safely.
When we woke up the next morning there was just a real sense of peace in our hearts. We knew that even though Vicki’s car was all messed up, we had walked away with no injuries. God had blessed us! Even though we had thanked Him on Sunday night, we woke up on Monday with hearts full of thanks.
I first thought of Psalm 4:7-8 --- 7 “You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” God gave us peace in the midst of what was a scary moment.
Of course, I couldn’t forget Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus.” God brought us through that time and His peace allowed us to find rest.
Next time you find yourself in a tough situation, let God’s peace help you to find rest in Him in the midst of it all.
JESUS, JESUS, JESUS, there IS something about that name!!
Christ only, always,
Bro. Paul
Brother Paul Nachtigall is the retired preacher at Highland Baptist Church. He can be reached at bropaul@centramedia.net.
