Living with my grandma I accepted JESUS as my LORD and Savior in Junior High. But after moving 600 miles away from my godly grandmother and church, as a teenager without supervision, I drifted away from the LORD and church and was doing my own thing. Perhaps due to the prayers of my godly grandmother and her praying friends, and the faithful goodness of GOD to discipline HIS child (Hebrews 12:11) to turn me back around and lead me to repentance (Romans 2:4) GOD definitely protected me and my children on a snowy day.
It is written: “For HE will command HIS angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
(Psalm 91:11) and, “Are the angels not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). I believe they are and that is what happened that day.
Living in a tiny rural community 8 miles from Quincy, a small town in northeastern California. I was 22, had 3 small children, 5, 2 and 5 months plus a big fluffy, blind dog with a huge black fluffy mane.
My husband had left with his older brother, looking for work and had ended up back in Colorado. The propane ran out in the cabin we were in, and I had no money for more. It was snowing and it was getting colder and colder. So, I called around but couldn’t get a hold of mom (this was in the days before cell phones). But I managed to get a hold of a friend. She couldn’t come because she had to get to work but said she would try to reach her husband.
I waited and waited, and it got colder and colder, so I bundled up the 3 little ones and loaded them and our blind dog into the car and took off. I was terrified since I had never driven in snow before. Never had needed to with Mac around and when he gone there was no vehicle to drive being we were a one car family. I drove slowly, very slowly and there was no traffic on the twisting narrow mountain road with the blinding snow. I went to turn on a curve the car didn’t turn. We went straight off the road heading over a cliff and would have plunged down the mountain side and into the creek far below had not a tiny pine tree stopped us.
The front wheels were off the road and the car teetered back and forth. Talk about being petrified. Being in the days before seat belts or air bags the kids often rode in the front seat. As calmly as I could I told the girls to get in the back seat, then handed the baby back to my 5-year-old. As carefully as I could I maneuvered over the seat myself, grabbed my baby then cautiously opened the back door, the dog bounded out and I gently shoved the girls out 1st, following quickly behind them clutching the baby to my side.
What a relief it was to get on solid ground! We were safe! But what now?
I wasn’t sure just how far I had come so began walking with the girls back toward Meadow Valley. It was cold, the snow was hitting us in our faces and the girls started crying and I didn’t know what to do. Then a jeep approached. After a few questions his wife helped the kids crawl in and went to where my car was teetering. Praise the LORD the man had a wench, hooked it to my car and easily pulled the car back onto the road.
I thanked him, but sure didn’t want to get back into that car and drive with the kids in it. Amazingly just then Butch, Mona’s husband, got there. He loaded the kids into his car and had me drive my car slowly ahead of him the rest of the way to town.
After the storm, I headed back out to Meadow Valley to get some clothes and stuff. On my way out to Meadow Valley I looked for the tree that had kept the car from dropping off the mountain side and plunging down, down into the little creek below. But there were no trees around that curve, not one. I wonder to this day if it was not an angel sent from my heavenly father to protect and woo back his rebellious daughter to HIMSELF.
Without a doubt, I knew we had been protected but I was still too stubborn to look to GOD. As a good FATHER, GOD was faithful and what HE allowed next turned me back around just a few months later. But oh, what the cost!
GOD says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you (Psalm 32:8 NIV).
Don’t be like I was,
“Don’t be like the horse and the mule (stubborn) which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” (Psalm 32:9).
Hugs
Sharon