On May 23, 2011, a tornado ravaged
Joplin, MO at the same moment God demonstrated His omniscient presence when He
spared my daughter and I from a head-on collision with a driver traveling full
speed the wrong direction in the far left lane of Missouri Hwy. 270 … the exact
lane that I’d been traveling in only a few seconds earlier. I did not move over because I saw him
coming. It was dark and the oncoming
driver’s lights blended in perfectly with the oncoming traffic moving properly
on the other side of the busy highway. Noticing
the other drivers flashing their lights,
I thought they were simply warning us of a police presence and that we
should slow down. (We were all traveling
rather quickly to get home before the storm blew over St. Louis.)
I moved over to avoid a speeding
ticket, I thought. Seconds later, as the
driver flew past me, I stopped breathing as the reality of what God had just
done for Sydni and I. Flooded with “what
ifs,” the next few moments were a blur. When
we finally arrived safely at home, I learned of the tragic devastation in
nearby Joplin. The next few days were
blended between confusion and turmoil. I
rejoiced in God’s miraculous intervention; I struggled with a heavy
question. “Why did God spare us but He
let that tornado destroy Joplin and so many other lives there?” I never received a satisfying answer, but in
time God comforted me in knowing that His wisdom is beyond my human
understanding.
Thankfully, God does not so vividly display
the caustic reality of His life-saving interventions in our lives every
day. While most of His miracles are
incredible, this one was terrifying.
However, the truth is that He does, indeed, provide for our safety … our
salvation every day. Each day I pray for
courage, strength, and safety for my family and friends. But, then, I don’t really stop and take time
to observe God answering those prayers.
For awhile that week, I thought that was part of God’s intention … to
show me that He is listening and answering my prayers. But that was just self-centered
reflection.
Later that week, Sydni and I went to
the movie “Soul Surfer.” At one point in
the movie, the youth director states, “We need to stop looking too closely at
the things God lays out before us and start looking at His bigger
picture.” Then she quoted one of my
favorite verses, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans
to prosper you, not harm you. Plans to
give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah
29:11 NIV) I realized that while I couldn’t thank God
enough for answering my prayers, I’d missed the bigger picture.
We live every single day in His
safety because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. God provides life-saving interventions every
day – some earthly that we see, some we never realize. But we always have eternal salvation in our
midst. God didn’t just save Sydni and I that
night on the highway; He saves every one of us every day. That happened 2000 years ago through His Son,
Jesus Christ.
So, while my heart still skips a
beat when I allow my mind to wander back to those oncoming headlights, I am now
overwhelmed with joy and praise for my God who already saved our lives and
allows us to live in that divine safety each day on earth and, eventually, forever
with Him – for a God who gives us a bigger picture if we let Him.
