IMMANUEL - God is with us!

There is something about that Name -- IMMANUEL! It has always thrilled me right down to my toes! How amazing that God would love us enough to give us His one and only Son!

"The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son
and will call him
Immanuel,

'God is with us'"

ISAIAH 7:14

Would you like to hear a story of how God was truly with me? Last night, Dylan and I were driving south on the 131 on our way to dinner with Shane and his dad. We had really just gotten on the highway at the W. River Drive entrance and had moved over to the far left lane, accelerating to 70 mph. It was 4:45 and traffic was heavy. Suddenly, I saw a rather large obstruction blocking my lane, perhaps 1/8 mile ahead. It looked like a very large wooden crate of some kind. I drive a very small car (a Kia Rio), and this object looked pretty large. I signaled to get over a lane, but like I said, traffic was heavy -- there were trucks to my right and traffic was right up on my back bumper. I had no where to go!

In situations like this one, I usually panic. I have had some nasty accidents in my lifetime, but I had actually made it through three years with my little Kia without one single incident! I tapped on my brakes a couple of times to warn the lady behind me, and then I just simply laid on the brakes to slow down before the impact, and hit the thing square on! And guess what? It moved to the left, bumping into the cement barrier, and came to an abrupt stop out of the way of any further traffic! The woman behind me did not slam into me! Had I swerved to the right to avoid the collision, I would have been in serious trouble (from the trucks). I think I had slowed down to about 35 mph when I hit it and then I just slowly accelerated, eventually switched lanes, and made it safely to Shane's apartment. Upon our arrival, Dylan and I inspected the car, and did not even find a scratch on it! Isn't that so cool?

I was keenly aware that God was "with us" last night. Had we been traveling an hour later, it would have been dusk and I never would have seen it until I was on top of it, hitting it at 70 mph! I think we would have had a different outcome had that been the case. So what did I hit? It was some kind of wooden crate, but large -- it was higher than the hood of my car, and about half as wide. And what if, when I did hit it, it had moved the opposite direction -- into traffic? It could have broken into a bunch of pieces, or even flown up on top of my little car and through the windshield. So Dylan and I gave thanks to the Lord and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I know that things don't always end that way. Bad things do happen to people all of the time. But isn't it good to know that "our lives are in His hands" (Psalm 66:9)? Evidently, the LORD had another day in mind for Dylan and I . . . another day to be alive, another day to praise Him, another day to trust and believe and remember that no matter what, He has promised:

"Never will I leave you;
Never will I forsake you."

HEBREWS 13:5