Near Death
Have you ever had a near death experience? I'll share an experience that has been running through my mind all day. I was 20 years old driving in a pouring down rain storm. I was driving way too fast in my small brown Chevrolet Sprint, on a very winding road, in Southern California. I slowed down ever-so-slightly, but not enough.
Suddenly my car hydroplaned at the most inopportune time. I felt alarmed and unsure of what was going to happen.
The road ahead of me was veering SHARPLY to the left, yet my car was moving straight ahead towards a massive tree. My vision was pigeonholed at this huge tree trunk. I was turning my steering wheel but nothing was happening. My car was about to crash and I was about to die.
"What do I do?" A ‘promise of God’, in scripture, came to mind; "Call upon Me in your day of trouble and I will rescue you".
What I wanted to say was: "God, I hope You’re looking at me & seeing what’s happening cuz I’m about to crash into this tree. Now’s a good time for one of Your “God saved my life miracles”.
But by the time I could rattle all that off I'd be a goner... all I could get out of my mouth was His name; "Jesus!".
Right then my car started gliding to the left, in the perfect direction of the SHARP curve in the road while my steering wheel was not moving at all. All I can think is God was steering my car.
It felt like one of those movie scenes where everything was happening in slow motion... a little eerie... but crazy cool at the same time.
I looked at the tree as I passed by whispering "oh my gosh". I was in complete awe of what was happening. My life was being saved. God was literally saving my life. Psalm 68:20 calls God; El Moshaah, the Hebrew name meaning the God who saves us, who rescues us from death.
We can learn a lot about what God is like through this miraculous life saving experience. We can ask God to come to our rescue in our daily routines, relationships, jobs, health issues or whatever it is.
For instance, when I was going through divorce I wanted God to take the wheel and bring healing to my marriage. I cried out to God night after night, day after day, asking for Him to save my marriage from the destruction that was ahead. It was gut wrenching and absolutely grievous to experience all the things that happened during that long season.
Did God come through in the way I hoped? No, He did not. He absolutely did not. My marriage ran straight into the massive tree trunk of divorce and died, leaving behind great loss.
Yet during the divorce process God rescued both my daughter’s heart and mine through the love & care of friends and family & through some radical circumstances.
I found money EVERY. SINGLE. DAY for 6 months straight & got surprise checks in the mail. God was letting me know He will rescue me from financial fears. Food was brought to my daughter and I on a near weekly basis for a period of time. Surprise Christmas gifts were brought to us from our church family (see this story here). God sent people to speak words of encouragement and scripture over me, holding my arms up during the long legal battles. I had an army of LOVE supporting me.
We can call on Him when we are in any kind of trouble... doesn't have to be life or death...it could be financial, relational, emotional, mental, physical...any kind of trouble we find ourselves in. He is El Moshaah, the God who saves.
Even if we ‘brought it upon ourselves’ like my foolish 20 year old rainy-day driving. God has so much compassion and care for us that He moves heaven and earth to rescue us.
Place the situation you're going through in His hands. There are over 500 'promises' for us in Scripture. I encourage you to memorize some of them. Get these truths deep in your heart. They belong to you.
How do you need God to rescue you today?
Let's pray together:
"God, thank you for wanting to rescue me. Thank you for seeing the trees ahead of me in this storm. I need your help. I give my life to you and trust You with this situation."
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