I normally like the little black SUV that I drive, but lately, it’s been acting up. In fact, on Saturday, it left me stranded.
Under normal circumstances, my car breaking down might have wrecked my day, but last week, a broke down car seemed par for the course and wrapped up a week I’ll not soon forget.
A week ago Saturday, our youngest son, Noah, competed in his second tuff truck competition at Buck Motorsports in Buck, Pennsylvania. He won his first race as an amateur, so this time he decided to bump up to the pro class, where he could compete with the big boys (which included his brother and uncle). If you don’t know much about this kind of racing, I wouldn’t be surprised. I didn’t either, until our boys decided they wanted to do it.
Tuff truck drivers navigate their trucks (or cars) across an off road, dirt obstacle course made up of jumps, uneven rocker hills, and ramps that are designed to test the vehicle and the drivers capabilities. The best driver, with the toughest truck, wins.
Noah raced so well during his first competition, I really didn’t have any reservations about him doing it again, and in the past, the races seemed like harmless entertainment. That is, until Noah took his Jeep on a dangerous flight off of one of the final jumps.
I’m pretty high anxiety when it comes to my kids, and that doesn’t always mesh well with boys who were born to be wild. I’ve watched them rough and tumble for two decades, but the image of Noah’s Jeep leaving the raceway, flipping upside down in mid air, and crashing down on the jersey wall (directly on the drivers side where he was harnessed in) left me understandably shaken (you can view the video here).
The impact from the wall sent his head to the floor, where he was pinned by the roof of the Jeep until help came in the form of his brother and uncle. They crossed a lake of mud in mere seconds to rescue him. God’s mercy was over Him. After a brief visit to the local trauma center, he walked away with only minor cuts and a very achy back. (This picture below shows the steering wheel peaking out above the roof of the car after it was removed from the track and loaded in the trailer.)
I was haunted by thoughts of what could have been as I relived the scene for friends and loved ones over the next few days, and anxiety became my new companion. Fear was definitely overcoming my faith, and I sought after the Lord’s help like David sought after God as he was pursued by Saul. It was reassuring when God reminded me that even the man after His heart experienced doubt and desperation a time or two.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
Psalm 142
If you’ve followed God for more than a minute, you know that there are moments of doubt, measures of uncertainty, and mountains of fear to overcome. As I sat on the roadside under the glaring sun, with my car seemingly kaput and my day in a tailspin, I thought about the week of anxiety I’d had. I let out a chuckle when I realized the victory He’d given me. I felt peace, not anxiety. God had responded to my pursuit of Him with an all out Word assault, subduing my fears and confirming my faith. Now He was showing off, adding a final message to the matter like a period at the end of a sentence.
I will never leave you stranded, even if your car does.
That was it. Period.
Nearly every person mentioned in the Bible struggled with their faith at some point in his or her life. Joseph wondered why he was sold into slavery. The disciples wondered why Jesus (whom they believed was the Messiah, and would free Israel) was betrayed, beaten and ultimately crucified on the cross. Job wondered why, as a righteous man, he was experiencing such acute suffering.
Similarly, you may be wondering why your husband ran off, why a close friend betrayed you, why a loved one is facing a terminal disease, or any number of other difficult circumstances a person might find themselves in the midst of in this fallen world we live in.
We’re not alone. We’re in some good company.
Faith means trusting that God is good, and that everything He does is good. Joseph later told his brothers…
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…”
Genesis 50:20
God’s message is always to trust Him, anxiety and all. He said to me repeatedly throughout the week, “Trust Me. I’m alive and in control of every situation. I take your struggles and turn them into blessings. I take your suffering and turn it into joy.”
How does He do it, you might ask?
“I am the sovereign, almighty Lord of the universe, who can do all things, and who causes everything to work together for good. So trust in Me, no matter what.”
As I sat on the curb, I could see God; feel God; and hear God speaking away my anxiety. He won’t ever leave any of His children stranded. God is with us. Period.