“We plan our way but the Lord directs our steps." ~ Proverbs
16:9
The old beater struggled up the
dusty path. They were hauling cement and
blocks to a Honduran mountain village where local coffee farmers were building a
church. The sun’s imposing presence was
causing havoc on the timeworn vehicle; the higher they climbed, the more
labored it became.
Near the crest of a hill, they
heard something ‘snap’ from under the truck.
Steve hit the brakes - no response.
The old clunker slowed under the load’s weight. Steve glanced nervously at his friend. “Jump out Alonso.” he said. “Put some rocks
behind the tires. Fast!”
Alonso kicked open the passenger
door and shot out as the truck began rolling backward. It gained momentum so quickly that he ran to
keep up, his feet slipping on the dirt road.
Screaming at Steve to get out, Alonso watched helplessly as his friend
continued backward down the steep incline.
The road made a sharp right turn, but the truck continued
straight and disappeared.
When Alonso reached the edge, he watched in disbelief as the
truck tumbled down the mountain before settling 200 meters below. Covered in blood from his jump, Alonso stared
out in horror.
Miraculously, Steve emerged from behind some sagebrush,
white as chalk. His eyes and mouth were
frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise.
“How’d you get out?” Alonso asked.
A van slowed and picked them up. The stranger seemed suspicious of Steve’s
harrowing escape. “Probably the
adrenaline rush,” he theorized, “gave you the strength to exit the truck. Once it wears off, you’ll feel pretty sore.”
The friends knew better.
Alonso saw Steve in the truck as it launched over the cliff; door closed.
The next day, Steve suffered no pain whatsoever. As he and Alonso hiked back down to the truck
to make plans to retrieve it, they noticed a broken driveshaft and mangled
brake clamp. And even though the
driver’s window was smashed, it remained in a rolled-up position with the door
locked and the seatbelt fully latched.
He knew right then, as he still knows today, that God took
him out of that truck. God chose to
spare his life because He wasn’t done with him on earth yet. How He did it was immaterial. But he knew for certain that it was God and Him alone.
When great things happen in our lives, we call them ‘God
Things.’ But there’s also a flip side to
that coin. Things that don’t go our way are
still God Things. True faith is being able to say “It’s a God Thing” even in the midst of
suffering, difficulty and heartache.
Almighty Father, sometimes it’s hard to see Your
intentions during the hard times. Help
me to know, trust and believe that You are working out all things for Your
glory and my good. Amen
