"I will go before you and make the rough places smooth.” Isaiah 45:2a
Yesterday I received a phone call from my husband. I was in an adjacent community about a half an hour from our home in the mountains of western North Carolina. It was the day I work as a volunteer at a local ministry. He said, “I don’t want to alarm you but you need to know that it is snowing quite heavily here and it is sticking. Even my truck was slipping until I put it in 4-wheel drive.” I drive a Honda that has front wheel drive so he got my full attention. It was raining where I was so I was completely unaware of the dangerous road conditions that were getting worse by the minute. He then began to tell me what I would encounter at every step of the way. He knew because he had just made the trip. He told me what speed and gear to be in as I approached the danger zones. He said, “Carol, if someone comes up behind you don’t allow them to pressure you into speeding up.” He knows me well. I hung on every word and followed his advice like my life depended on it.
The road from our home to town needs to be driven with careful respect on a good day, but in the snow it becomes treacherous. I can tell you I prayed without ceasing as I saw cars abandoned on the shoulders of the road and the parade of 3 emergency vehicles, two of them ambulances from clearing a wreck at the bottom of a long hill. I knew I had an even steeper hill to descend which was the last danger spot between me and home. I kept rehearsing my husband’s instructions on how to get safely down it. When I got there a man was blocking the way. He told me that several cars were sideways on the road and I would have to take another long and curvy side road. Fortunately a big suburban had just been diverted too and I was able to get in its tracks which made it easier.
My home and driveway never looked better. I felt jubilant, but I prayed for those I knew were still trying to make their way home.
Yesterday I received a phone call from my husband. I was in an adjacent community about a half an hour from our home in the mountains of western North Carolina. It was the day I work as a volunteer at a local ministry. He said, “I don’t want to alarm you but you need to know that it is snowing quite heavily here and it is sticking. Even my truck was slipping until I put it in 4-wheel drive.” I drive a Honda that has front wheel drive so he got my full attention. It was raining where I was so I was completely unaware of the dangerous road conditions that were getting worse by the minute. He then began to tell me what I would encounter at every step of the way. He knew because he had just made the trip. He told me what speed and gear to be in as I approached the danger zones. He said, “Carol, if someone comes up behind you don’t allow them to pressure you into speeding up.” He knows me well. I hung on every word and followed his advice like my life depended on it.
The road from our home to town needs to be driven with careful respect on a good day, but in the snow it becomes treacherous. I can tell you I prayed without ceasing as I saw cars abandoned on the shoulders of the road and the parade of 3 emergency vehicles, two of them ambulances from clearing a wreck at the bottom of a long hill. I knew I had an even steeper hill to descend which was the last danger spot between me and home. I kept rehearsing my husband’s instructions on how to get safely down it. When I got there a man was blocking the way. He told me that several cars were sideways on the road and I would have to take another long and curvy side road. Fortunately a big suburban had just been diverted too and I was able to get in its tracks which made it easier.
My home and driveway never looked better. I felt jubilant, but I prayed for those I knew were still trying to make their way home.
Reflecting on that experience made me realize that what my husband did for me mirrors what Christ did for us. He has gone before us and has given us His word and His Spirit to guide us. In 2 Timothy 4:18 Paul expresses confidence that the Lord will protect him from every evil and bring him safely to His heavenly kingdom. I would have been incredibly foolish to resent or ignore my husband’s instructions. He wanted to get me safely home. How much more does our heavenly Bridegroom desire to do the same?
MY PRAYER: Lord thank you for going before us. Thank you for your word, your warnings, and your Spirit to guide us through and around every danger. Thank you that because we are following and trusting Christ we will arrive safely home. In His name, amen.
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