“As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.”Luke 8:23
It was nighttime and Topanga Canyon Boulevard was at its busiest. Right under a dark overpass, my handicap-equipped van conked out. Completely. Even brakes and steering. I was careening up a busy street without any controls. You can imagine my relief when, with cars speeding around me, I drifted to a stop just short of the next intersection. But then I screamed. My van, with no tail lights, started to drift backward into oncoming traffic. Oh God, have you abandoned me to a fiery crash? Is this how I’m going to die?! Just then, as I hunched over, preparing to be rear-ended, Ken’s truck screeched to a stop alongside my van. He jumped in, manhandled the braking mechanism, and lifted me out of the van and carried me to his truck. Never before had I been in such danger.
My nerves remained rattled for days. When I read Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear?” I thought, I fear dead batteries and no brakes. To shore up my faith I read today’s passage in Luke. I began noticing words like “the boat was being swamped” and “they were in great danger.” There’s no soft-pedaling it. The disciples’ narrow escape was just that: narrow. I identified. Like them, I had been within inches of death. But those “inches” were really “miles” — God had me all along.
It may feel as if God is asleep when danger strikes, but He’s not. No matter if it’s by the skin of your teeth or with miles to spare, God helps His people. If it’s not your appointed time, He will always, always deliver you… sometimes in the nick of time. Is that too close for comfort? Maybe, yes. But it’s always close enough.
Lord, thank You for the many times You’ve rescued me. Whether it was too close for comfort or not, I was… I am, always safe and secure when I am held by You.
