So some might say I have bad luck with cars... And they'd be right.
I mean, who hits a deer just ten days after getting their car back from being in the shop due to a broken transmission? (I'll give y'all a hint... it's me).
And this is after a wreck that totaled my car earlier this year after I hydroplaned across three lanes of traffic on the interstate. So yeah. I really don't have good luck with cars. At all.
Hopefully you can imagine the pure exasperation I felt when this happened last Tuesday evening. I was being completely safe. I wasn't on my phone and didn't even have any music playing. But here comes a deer, bounding over the concrete median and straight into my headlight.
My first thought was "Holy crap, I just hit a deer." And then, seeing as how I was about four minutes from home, I drove straight there. Upon waking my poor mother from her sleep to tell her what happened, the reality of my situation finally set in. As did some questions.
How was I going to pay for this after most of my savings was just depleted from the several thousand dollar transmission I just had to buy? How was I going to get to work and church?
And, the biggest question of all that I immediately asked the Lord in a tearful state- Why did this happen to me?
Oh, I was angry. At first. But you know what else I felt? Peace. Because even though I was frustrated, I just knew immediately that my God was going to provide.
I cried about it. Believe me, I cried. Out of anxiety and frustration. But I also told the Lord that I trusted Him. Because I do.
Literally the day this happened, I wrote this prayer down. “You are so much more than anything this world could offer me. You are above it all and I’m so thankful that You even allow me to come to You, to rest in You!
Thank You that I can come boldly before the throne of Grace to receive mercy there!
Thank You, Jesus, that You are at the right hand of the Father interceding for me! Wow, You are so good.”
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I lifted up this outpouring of praise in the afternoon, gathered with fellow believers for a night of thanksgiving at my college ministry, and then this accident happened. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that just prior to this, I’d been praying a lot about surrendering all I had to the Lord.
In this prayer, I mentioned a few of the things we have to be grateful for. Well, while doing my Bible study on Romans 12:1-2 the other day, I found quite a few more so I’m going to list them here:
Justification from our sins (Romans 4;5:1)
Adoption through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-15)
Placement under grace (Romans 8:1-4)
The Holy Spirit! (Romans 8:9)
Promise of help in times of trial (Romans 8:28)
Confidence of coming glory (Romans 8:18)
Confidence that there is no separation from Christ’s love (Romans 8:38-39)
Confidence of His continued faithfulness! (Romans 11:33-36)
And, there’s a lot more where that came from! In light of all of this, how can I not remember and acknowledge that God is good, He’s in control, and He will take care of my needs?
Is my car fixed yet? No, but insurance was able to get me a snazzy rental car that I get to drive in the meantime.
Are my savings back up to what I had before? No, but the Lord has provided me with two jobs and the chance to live at home for now so I can save back up.
And this is in addition to all the other ways He’s already provided for me, spiritually and otherwise!
Romans 12:1-2 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Did you guys catch that? “By the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice”.
This Thanksgiving, I truly encourage y’all to reflect on and thank the Lord for all He’s done for you as well. Take time to acknowledge and remember His mercies to you (including the ones listed above). Yield to Him and His holiness because everything you are and everything you have is by Him and because of Him!
And finally, spend time in His Word and dwelling in His presence so that you may be refined and therefore become a more holy and acceptable sacrifice. This is an act of worship that the Lord delights in and will lead others to see the proof of a living God Who dwells inside You!
He is so good, y’all! He is good. He is good to us. He is good at being God. I pray you don’t forget it as you go throughout this holiday weekend!
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