I was driving to Greenwood late this morning and as I was heading around the south side of Indy, I merged onto the southbound ramp of interstate 65 from 465 west. Traffic was rather slow although it was well past rush hour. I couldn’t figure out the delay. Nobody was driving in the center lane. Traffic in the left lane and also in the right lane, but the center was clear as far as I could see down the road.
I couldn’t see anything wrong up ahead, so I pulled into the center lane and proceeded down the highway. It wasn’t thirty seconds later that I unexpectedly found out why traffic was so slow. There, in the left lane ahead of me, was a male driver who was swerving on and off the road, almost hitting the guard rail – then over-correcting and jerking the car back on the road. I made sure that I stayed back far enough to avoid getting caught in any accident that this guy may cause.
As soon as I entered the middle lane, other traffic followed suit so I couldn’t pull back in to either one of the other lines of traffic. Suddenly, the erratic driver pulled right in front of me and crossed over three lanes, almost heading off the right shoulder into a ravine. I was using my bluetooth on a call with my accountant friend, Al, as all this was going on. Of course, we stopped talking business while I tried to avoid getting in the middle of an accident. Al got a blow by blow description of the action as I was in the middle of all this.
Just as I crossed south of County Line Road, one stop before I was exiting, a state police car merged onto the highway and pulled up behind the swerving car. Next thing I knew, the car was stopping, not in a straight line I might add, and the rest of us moved down the highway. In a way that only Al could convey, he reminded me that I might have my topic for this evening’s post – and he was right. I even knew the verse that I planned to use.
In fact, the verse comes from one of my favorite psalms – a psalm of safe passage for travelers. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Several times in my life I have been in situations on highways where I have almost been involved in an accident. And each time, save one, I have been delivered from harm. And even that one time, many years ago, when Jill and I should have been killed, we both made a rather full recovery.
So, without any further delay, the verse for tonight comes from Psalm 91:9-12. The psalmist writes, “If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Isn’t that beautiful thought?
God will send His angels to protect you and guard you from harm. Did you realize that this is the role of “guardian” angels? Yep – that’s where we get the term from. God sends help to you in your time of need. This particular psalm specifically refers to people who travel. In fact, it is the same psalm that Satan misquotes to Jesus during the period of His temptation after His baptism. However, and this isn’t difficult to believe, Satan leaves out part of the psalm. Isn’t that just like Satan? Almost quoting God, but not quite – and therein lies the difference.
My encouragement for this evening is that God cares about your safety. This doesn’t mean that you have His permission to go out and live a reckless life, but God cares for you. My prayer is that God is with the family of the man who drove so erratically today; and that He will comfort him and also keep him from harm. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…