Safety Is of the Lord

A soft blanket of snow had fallen as we slept.

My husband, Norman, woke me, saying, “I don’t think you will be able to volunteer at the hospital today.” Yet I was thankful when the road conditions improved, and I was able to go after all. The pastor phoned and asked Norman whether he could plow the snow in the church parking lot. Norman readily agreed to go but a bit later. Before I left, he asked me to come straight home when I finished at the hospital.

The roads might be slick. My trip to and from the hospital was uneventful. As I came closer to home, however, I began to be concerned for Norman.

I picked up supper for him, turned into the church driveway, and began heading up the hill. Soon my car began to slide sideways, forcing me to a halt.

Getting out of the car, I started walking but quickly realized I was on solid ice! I returned to the safety of the car and looked for Norman’s tractor.

Oh, dear! I’m in a mess. I’ll try to call him.

But my cell phone signal was weak. “Oh Lord, I need help. Please show me what to do,” I prayed aloud. Again, I began walking in the direction of the church building since I had the pass code that would enable me to get in.

But I found myself in calf-deep wet snow. “Please help me, Jesus,” I breathed. Then I saw the headlights of the tractor and began waving wildly! Norman stopped and asked, “What are you doing here?” I held up a soggy Taco Bell bag and weakly said, “I brought you some supper.” Norman gently helped me inside the warm church. He saw that my car was sitting on solid ice. As we rode home in his pickup, he said, “You could have been in real trouble.” “But I wanted you to have some supper,” I said sweetly. My answer seemed foolish then. As I look back on my decisions that day, I realize they were not bad decisions but rather foolish ones to make during inclement weather.

I had let my love and concern for Norman jeopardize my own safety. Despite my flawed judgment, the Lord had answered my cry for help and delivered me that cold night on the dangerously slick hill of the church driveway! I’m surely glad that our prayers are heard and answered in all types of weather, aren’t you?

Rose Neff Sikora