God is with us
IN December I shared how God sent an angel to pay my $15,000 bill at the gas station when my card declined due to connectivity issues. God continues to remind me that it’s not that trouble won’t happen, but rather that He will be with us as we go through.
Recently I was heading out to church on the north-south leg of Highway 2000, on a clear and sunny Sunday morning with my precious daughters, when my front left tyre exploded, ripping to shreds, or as some would say, it blew out.
The car lost control and swerved, exacerbated by the angle of the descent along with the speed at which we were driving. But interestingly, a second or two after I also felt like I was given control. I felt an unusual ability to navigate, miraculously avoid the concrete median, apply the brake without flipping over, slowly and calmly ‘rimming it’ towards the soft shoulder. The whole experience may have lasted 10 to 20 seconds but in a way, it felt like we were in slow motion.
A few seconds in, I felt prompted to speak or pronounce words of calm to my daughters in the back. “We are okay. We are slowing down. We will not collide. We will take our time to pull over.” That was the grace of God overshadowing me in the face of an unexpected crisis.
We did experience the words I spoke — we slowed down and pulled over and we were okay. Safe on the soft shoulder we jumped out to look at the tyre. It was nothing short of God’s grace that guided us during that frightening experience. It has become yet another metaphor for how challenges can confront or beset you from out of nowhere, yet God’s providence and grace are sufficient.
I am grateful that in that moment when the tyre crumbled, no cars were close behind us or approaching. I’m also grateful that we had a safe soft shoulder at the section of the highway where the incident happened. If there was no soft shoulder, where would I have been able to steer the car to?
I also extremely thankful for my beloved big brother who, as always, quickly came to my rescue with wisdom, know-how, and a smile. I’m thankful for my Christian brothers who, upon hearing, left church to take the long trek on the toll and were the first on the scene to comfort and start the process to change the tyre. I’m also thankful for my pastor and church family who took a moment to pray for us when they heard.
God is indeed with us. I’m reminded that He is with us by His spirit that gives us unusual peace and abilities in times of crisis. He is also with us through the presence of beautiful people, who are his hands, feet and broad shoulder in times like these.
As we navigate life this year let us remember to count our blessings and place our trust in our Immanuel God. And let us be the people carrying His love, His help, and His presence to others in times of trouble.
Passionate about faith and women’s empowerment, Shelly-Ann Mair-Harris is the author of several publications including God’s Woman and The Goodies on Her Tray. A woman of faith for several years, she is the creator of Family and Faith Magazine and Women & Faith. She is also a podcaster, an award-winning playwright and poet, as well as a trained and experienced media, marketing, employee engagement, change management and strategic communications professional. Send comments to womenandfaithcommunity@gmail.com.
