Tag: Driving

Prayers of Protection

My husband and I just returned from a week-long vacation. We had a very nice time, just getting away for awhile, relaxing, doing some fishing, and enjoying nature. We like to travel, and we like to take the “back roads” and scenic routes. Even so, we pray for God’s protection as we travel.

Praying for “travel mercies” or safety as we travel is not a magical formula. We were not expecting that God would somehow grant us a problem-free trip. Prayer doesn’t change the possibility that we could be involved in an accident, or our car might break down, or we might be subject to bad weather or natural disaster (on that note, we are praying for those impacted by Hurricane Helene– both residents and travelers). Rather, praying for safety in our travels is an acknowledgement that God knows what the future holds, and we do not. God is able to protect us from harm in a miraculous way, if He so chooses. But He is also able to bring us THROUGH tough times and even disasters. Prayer reminds us that we are not the sole authors of our own circumstances.

Nor does prayer negate our obligation to practice safety–we obey the traffic laws, check to make sure the car is in good condition, we wear seatbelts, and pay attention to driving conditions. Prayer simply reminds us that we are not the sole authors of our circumstances. We expect certain outcomes, but God knows both the expected and the unexpected outcomes; we proclaim our trust in Him, no matter what.

So what happened on our vacation? Was it all smooth sailing (or driving in our case)? Not quite. Yet I believe that God answered our prayers and showed His faithfulness. We took our Jeep and drove almost 500 miles away from home without any major incident. We did have to “pump up” one of our tires, and we experienced some rough driving when we went “off road” due to a wrong turn we took. (We ended up on a designated trail for off-road vehicles, thinking it was a short-cut to a rocky beach!) And, just as we were entering our home town at the end of our trip, we witnessed (but were not involved) in a bad crash involving a vehicle fleeing from the police.

I believe that God was with us–not just because we had a good trip with minimal troubles, but because He has promised to never leave us! I know faithful Christians who have died in terrible car accidents. Two years before I was born, my mother and grandmother almost died in an auto accident. God was still with them! Someone once asked me to think about all the “close calls” and even unknown dangers that none of us can see–We have no idea how many times over we “should” have died or “might” have faced grave dangers. In fact, on another vacation a few years ago, we were within 30 miles of home when we hit a deer. No one was hurt, but it could have been a disaster. The accident that injured my mother was along a route that she drove every day. In fact, most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. How easy to pray for protection for a long trip into the unknown and forget to pray when we are traveling to church on Sunday or to the movies on Friday night! Yet God may have protected us from death a hundred times over in our lives without our knowledge. It is only when we see the frightening possibilities that we acknowledge the miracles of His protection in our lives.

It can be difficult to see the hand of God when a miracle doesn’t happen. When “good” people die or suffer extreme pain as the result of a freak accident. We want life to “make sense.” We want our plans to, well, go as planned. And it can be too easy to claim credit when things DO work out just the way we expected. God did not let bad things happen to other people because He didn’t love them. And He didn’t let David and I have a great vacation because He somehow loves us MORE than others, or because we are somehow “better” or “more deserving” of a good vacation.

God answers prayers of protection– not because He has to, and not always in the way we expect Him to–God’s ways are NOT our ways. But we can trust Him, and continue to pray for protection and mercy as we travel through each new day. He IS Faithful. He WILL not leave us to face the unknown alone.

0

Choices

I like having choices. When I go to a restaurant, I get a menu, with several choices– appetizers, entrees, beverages, desserts. I have choices at the grocery store– brand X cereal or brand Y, different sizes of laundry detergent, which cucumber to put in a produce bag– sometimes even a choice between paper and plastic and reusable bags! I have a choice to buy or rent a house or apartment/condo. I have a choice about the car I drive or the choice not to drive, but to walk or take public transportation. I choose which church to attend, or not to attend at all. I choose when I get up in the morning and when I go to sleep. I choose what to wear each day. I choose to obey the law, including speed limits on the highway and slowing down in school zones, paying whatever taxes are due, and registering for the census, voting, and other civic duties.

Many of these choices seem benign. It doesn’t really matter to anyone else which brand of cereal I buy or when I eat it, or even if I decide not to eat it, but end up throwing it out. It doesn’t matter to most people where I live, or go to church, or what I am wearing. It doesn’t hurt anyone else if I drive a couple of miles faster than the speed limit on a back road somewhere.

But some choices DO matter– they matter a lot. If I choose to drive at high speed through a school zone, I might end up accidentally killing a student or school worker. If I live in a house or apartment I cannot afford, or if I refuse to maintain my house or apartment, I may end up evicted or homeless. If I choose to use drugs– even prescription drugs– in an unwise manner, I may end up in the hospital or in the cemetery! And I may hurt others around me in the process.

I live in a nation that prizes “freedom” and “freedom to choose.” But in the past century, more and more voices are being raised in an effort to make all choices “equal.” And they are not. Many of our “choices” are in direct contradiction to the Word of God, to traditional values, and even to common sense! Our choices have consequences– some benign, and some catastrophic. Voices are shouting about their “right to choose” even as they are also raised in righteous indignation about others’ rights and choices.

I could speak to this for days on end, defending my own choices, and pointing out which “choices” break my heart or offend me. But I feel compelled to point out just three things to consider about individual choices:

  1. How does this choice honor God? I think it is easy to focus on “big” choices when we think of this, but I have been challenged lately to see how even my “easy” and “little” choices honor Him. Does it really matter which brand of cereal I eat in the morning? Probably not. But what about brands and manufacturers that support causes that do not honor God? Most of the time, I am unaware of such considerations. But the money I spend on my favorite sugary breakfast treat may help sponsor evil. And if I am aware of which manufacturers are giving large donations to causes I despise, but I am still buying their products every week, I am helping to sponsor that evil.
  2. How does this choice impact others? We DO have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do NOT have freedom from the consequences of those actions. “My Body, My Choice” looks good on posters and banners, but things like abortion or gender reassignment have an impact beyond a single person. Abortion always ends with the death of a second “body”– one without any choice in the matter. Gender reassignment impacts more than just one person– it impacts their present and future relationships, as well as impacting their future physical health and reproductive system. It is also important to establish whether my choices are made to try to please or influence others. It’s easy to blame others after the fact, citing “peer pressure” or claiming “I didn’t have another choice,” but is that really true, or was one choice just a lot easier or more popular than another? That same group that pressured you make certain choices– will they be there for you afterward? No matter the consequences? Will they still be your friends if you make a different choice?
  3. Does this choice help me grow into a better person? Many of our choices come from wanting to be a happier, wealthier, or more popular person– NOT a healthier, more mature, or wiser person. And most of our choices focus on immediate gratification, rather than long-term growth. Doing something because you have the “right to choose” is not the same as “doing the right thing.” Doing the right thing often involves sacrifice and even a season of suffering. Our present choices–even the small ones– will impact our future circumstances, and our development as an individual. Eating a donut today may be tasty, but eating donuts every day may lead to obesity, diabetes or heart disease, and even a lessening of enjoyment for donuts– they’re no longer a tasty treat, but a habitual threat to my health!
  4. Am I angry and defensive about my “choice?” Years ago, I was stopped for speeding on my way to work. Of course, I had been running a little late, and being stopped made me even later. I had to explain my tardiness to my boss, who dismissed the whole incident with a sly “next time, don’t get caught..” But one of my co-workers self-righteously handed me a two-page pamphlet on the evils of driving over the speed limit. At that time, I was indignant and offended. (I still would be a bit miffed– I don’t agree with either of the reactions I got that day, but that’s another post…) As I have grown older, however, I have come to value the three questions above– and it changes my perspective. I KNOW it’s “wrong” to drive over the speed limit. I know many people do it anyway and get away with it. But the bottom line is this–speeding does not honor God. It does not help anyone else, and could potentially harm someone. And it does not grow my character. I don’t automatically become a “good” person if I DON’T speed– let me be clear about that. But I do grow in character when my choices are made out of a heart that prioritizes God and others over my own selfishness (and procrastination!) When I find myself getting angry and defensive, I need to consider whether or not it is really guilt. If I wasn’t speeding that day, I wouldn’t have had any reason to be angry with my co-worker or ashamed of being “caught.” If someone is angry and defensive about his or her behavior, it is often brought about by guilt, shame, and a rebellious spirit, tired of defending what everyone else (and sometimes their own conscience) tells them is “wrong.”

We make choices every day– some benign, some “good,” some “bad.” Let’s pray for wisdom to make the best choices, confess the “wrong” choices, and offer encouragement and truth, rather than judgment, to those around us.

Today, I’m praying about the “choice” of abortion and its impact on my nation (as well as worldwide). In the 50+ years since Roe v. Wade attempted to make abortion “legal” in all 50 of the United States, over 60 million abortions have been reported in the U.S. during those years.* This figure does not include other nations, unreported (back alley or non-clinical) abortions, or natural miscarriages. Not only does this represent the “choice” to end the lives of over 60 million precious individuals, it represents millions of women (along with men and other family members) who have been impacted by the deceptive offer of “freedom” and the increasing pressure to make this “choice” seem both normal and healthy. For my friends, family, and others who have made this choice– my heart aches for what you have been through, and I rejoice with those of you who have found Grace and renewed hope through Jesus. God loves you– YOU, not your past choices– and welcomes you to choose Him today and every day. For those who have not been in a position to be tempted by this “choice”– I pray that we live with compassion, and that we stand up for and speak up for TRUTH and LIFE– not self-righteousness and fear.
* A more conservative estimate still places the number at well over 40 million
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/25/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-us/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/185274/number-of-legal-abortions-in-the-us-since-2000/

The Offer of Life or Death

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 30: 11-20 (NIV)

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”|
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
St. John 8:2-11

0

A Few Random Observations

This has been a somewhat laid-back week. I ran some errands on Monday, did some cleaning Tuesday, went to Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, and relaxed yesterday. But I wanted to share a few observations from this quiet week:

The corn is coming on fast in this area. Rain and heat mean that much of the corn was more than “knee-high by the fourth of July.” I am so thankful for farms and farmers– thankful for their hard work and planning, but also thankful for how God gives rain and sunshine in its season. It is so nice to see green fields gently swaying in the warm breezes, soaking up all the recent rains.

Other crops are blossoming, as well. It is blueberry season, and David and I hope to pick a few quarts in the next week or so. I have a small herb garden, and we are enjoying fresh basil, chives, and sage. I also have a couple of tubs of tomato plants with medium-sized green tomatoes getting ready to turn red, and some cilantro and rosemary that got a late start, but what salads we will enjoy!

While driving on my errands and to church the other day, I saw a lot of wildlife (and not-so-wild life) along the way. I saw cranes and geese, deer, a random turtle, squirrels and rabbits, sheep and cows and horses, all with their young. I saw flowers of every color and size, enjoyed the shade of trees, and enjoyed watching the clouds float through the cheery blue sky.

Everywhere, there is life! There is color and movement, singing of birds and whispers of wind. And everywhere, there is evidence of God’s goodness!

Sometimes, it is very good to push back against the busyness of errands and schedules, and just marvel at God’s creation and His provision. Nature waits on God. He supplies all the needs of the plants, the wild creatures, and the earth. And He will supply all our needs, too. Not just physical and material needs, but soul-deep needs for peace, joy, rest, purpose, and even discipline. God can lead us in “green pastures” and also through the “valley of the shadow of death.” And though the way may be challenging and even difficult sometimes, we can trust in His wisdom and guidance.

So today, I choose to use my time and space to witness God’s glory in Nature; to praise His creativity and His wisdom; and to rest in His Grace.

0

Time to Renew

It’s that time of year again…my birthday is coming up and I will need to visit the Secretary of State’s office to renew my license plate tag; this year, my driver’s license also expires, so I have to renew that as well.

This is not a pleasant process– I will wait in line, answer questions, and have a photo taken.  I will write out a check or have money debited from my bank account (ouch).  I may have to wait another week or two for the new driver’s license to be sent out, and then I will have to live with the horrible photo for a few years. What a drag!  I often hear people complaining about the process–it’s a time-consuming, costly, bureaucratic nightmare, or it’s just an annoyance.

Except I don’t really “have to” do any of those things.  Being a licensed driver is not a life or death matter.  The law says that I must possess a valid license in order to drive, but thousands of people drive every day with no license, or a suspended or expired license, and “get away with it.”  Others choose not to drive, and do not carry a license or state-issued photo ID.

car side mirror showing heavy traffic
Photo by STANLEY NGUMA on Pexels.com

But I choose to go through the annoying process because of the benefits.  Driving is a privilege– one denied to many who can’t afford, or can’t operate a vehicle.  Renewing my license brings much-needed revenue to the state, so they can (attempt to) maintain the roads, bridges, and traffic-related signs and lights that we use every day.  Renewing shows my commitment to obey the laws and authorities that govern (the roads in and around) my city, county, state, and nation. Renewing my license gives me an opportunity to register (or confirm my status) as a voter.  It even gives me the opportunity to learn patience and people skills!

All this to talk about another kind of renewal…

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  (Romans 12:1-2  NIV)

The Apostle Paul speaks about the “renewing of your mind.”  In renewing my license, I am conforming to the laws of the land.  This passage is not telling me to break the law; it is calling me to transform the way I view the world, the way I process the world, and the way I allow my thoughts to shape my behavior.  Instead of thinking about the license process as an inconvenience– I need to weigh the inconvenience against the benefits I receive from having a valid license.  Instead of focusing on the negatives around me– fear, hatred, selfishness, complaining, greed, lying, etc., I need to focus on how I can respond in hope, love, compassion, encouragement, generosity, and truth.  And I need to depend on the work of the Holy Spirit to transform the way I think about the world, about myself, and about God.

action asphalt automobile automotive
Photo by Taras Makarenko on Pexels.com

There is a lot of ugliness in the world, lately; but there is also a lot of beauty.  There are urgent needs, but there are also abundant resources in Christ Jesus.  There are hardships, but there are also moments of peace, healing, and hope.

It’s time for renewal!

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things.  (Philippians 4:8 MEV)

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑