Do I Have a Guardian Angel, Lord?

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you. . . . For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. —Psalm 91:9–11, ESV

It was about two o’clock in the morning, and I was on my way to Houston, Texas, in the United States of America, to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

I knew I was getting low on fuel, yet I passed by a filling station off Interstate 35, telling myself, I’ll stop at the next one. Approximately three miles later, I came over a hill to find a traffic jam that stretched out as far as I could see. My heart sank.

Why had I not stopped for fuel when I had the chance? As the traffic inched along, my anxiety began to increase. Then, up ahead, I saw a car stopped beside the road. An older gentleman stood helplessly beside it. As I reached his car, it appeared there was a woman in the car with him, so I said a prayer and pulled over. It felt like we both needed help! They said they had been broken down since nine o’clock that night, and no one had stopped to help.

This was in the days before the convenience of cell phones, but I had a bag phone in my trunk that I could make an emergency call from.

As I opened my trunk, a voice behind me said, “Are you the one who called for help?” Surprised, I turned around to see a tow truck. The driver of the truck said he would help the older gentleman and that I needed to take the next exit.

At that point, it was no more than a hundred yards ahead. He said I would be able to turn around and go back to the station for fuel. If I had ever doubted the existence of guardian angels before, I never did after that night! After that experience, I know there are angels among us. We had not called for help, and I am still not sure that exit existed prior to God’s intervention. But God was watching, and He sent an angel to help me and the older couple who had been broken down beside the road for hours. The gas station attendant told me to take the county road that ran along the interstate so that I would not have to get back into that traffic jam. And just like that, my gas tank was full, and the traffic problem was solved! Thank You, Jesus, for sending an angel in our time of need.

Jo Shuck