Josh, Brandon and Anne, three dear friends and amazing students who are doing great things for God here were in a terrible crash this past Saturday as they drove to Three Trails Ranch. One and a half flips in the car and numerous collisions with obstacles could have been the end of any or all of their lives. Not one of them had a scratch, bruise or injury. Praise God!!! It is so easy to live life with a very natural perspective but at times like these an eternal perspective comes through vividly. Take a moment to pause and reflect on God's protection. Then read Psalm 91:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD , "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the LORD , who is my refuge- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD , "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
Erin and I are reading Evangelism Is (so far it is GREAT) and Dave Wheeler mentions 4 times people are very open to the gospel - death (deaths of loved ones or near death experiences), divorce, disease and status changes (new jobs, cities, etc.). Make it a point to transition to the gospel from stories concerning these inflection points. Give it a shot, share a near death story with a friend or co-worker and then ask them theirs. Then transition to the gospel from there.
Finally, check out the MP3 below for more on living with an eternal perspective!
Finally, check out the MP3 below for more on living with an eternal perspective!
Wow, looks like a bad crash. Glad to hear everyone was unscathed...
ReplyDeleteI always have a problem when someone says 'god was looking out for them' If this were the case why were they in a crash to begin with?
If god is always looking out for his followers why would they pay for car insurance that is over the legally required minimums?
I was in a horrible accident a few years ago, hit by a drunk driver, totalled my car, etc... A friend said I was lucky god was looking out for me. I disagreed, I lost my job due to my injuries, drunk driver had no insurance, and I am not in huge debt because of my injuries and lost job. I sure don't feel like anyone was looking out for me. If I believed in a god I'd venture he was looking out for the drunk driver that had ZERO injuries, and other than a couple weeks of jail time was not out financially, and didn't face 1/100th of what I had to face....
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're alive! It sounds like that drunk drivers sin sure messed you and others up. Definitely exactly what the Bible says sin will do. I thank God He saved your life. Christians are never promised immunity from the world (Jn.16:33) and we are told to be wise with our resources and steward them well, hence insurance, etc. When we are miraculously spared in a situation that should have ended drastically differently it is easy to recognize and be thankful for God's protection. I am very sorry another person's sin hurt you so bad and am so thankful Jesus came to save him, you and me from all of our sin which is as bad and worse. I thank God you're alive brother!