I believe many times we can't even see how God has worked or orchestrated events/timing in our lives. However, last weekend, we caught a glimpse of His handiwork, which was SO humbling and encouraging. I think He just might have planned it all, to remind me (trust me, I need LOTS of reminding) that He is Sovereign AND I can trust Him completely.
We were driving from northwest Oklahoma up to Colorado Springs. The trip, without any stops, was supposed to take 8.5 hours. We usually add at least 30 minutes for a stop every 3-4 hours, so our estimate was that it would be 10 hours. Most of our trips have been 7 hours or less, so we anticipated the day to be long and potentially more difficult for the boys. When we have a long drive ahead of us, our family has found the best plan is to get up super early in the morning and hit the road ASAP. Our goal is to get a couple hours of driving under our belt before we stop for breakfast. This usually works well with our boys, as they often fall back asleep in their carseats, creating a peaceful drive for the first several hours. This particular day proved this plan to be true, and we had a quiet, uneventful couple hours in the van.
Another factor we were adding to this particular trip was the forecast of snow at our destination. We were tracking the weather for the day, but unable to see when we would first encounter the snow storm on our drive. As we drove through the panhandle of Texas, the weather was clear and mild. But as we approached the northeast corner of New Mexico, we could see clouds in the distance. As we drove into the winter area, we initially only saw small patches of snow alongside the road. Of course, as we ascended into the mountains of southern CO, the amount of snow increased and eventually we were driving through big, swirly flakes. We planned our next stop for gas and lunch, wanting to press on as far as we could before stopping. As our tank crept toward empty, we decided to stop in Trinidad, CO. The snow was falling fairly heavily at this point. We bundled up in the van and made a dash into the gas station to use the restrooms. Of course...the restrooms at that station were accessible only from the outside! We carefully made our way around the building, stepping through snow, as wet flakes blew into our eyes. Ten minutes later, with a full tank and empty bladders, we headed to the nearest fast food restaurant. I was leaning toward taking our time at lunch and seeing if the weather would improve at all. But my wise husband said we should eat quickly and continue on slowly and steadily.
Amazingly, the nearest restaurant had an indoor playground! The boys climbed around on it while we ordered our food. We ate quickly and headed back to our seats in the van. The next leg of the trip was slower. Our van, shaped like a box, has a windshield that almost goes up at a 90 degree angle from the ground. We discovered quickly that this does not work well when driving through snow and ice. Our windshield wipers collected ice at an amazing rate, which would not allow them to clear our windshield at all. We pulled over multiple times for K to scrape the ice away and improve visibility drastically, if only for the next 5 minutes! We were amazed at the multiple cars that sped past us, with completely clear windshields and visibly much less stress than we were experiencing in our van! We slowly continued, stopping as needed to clear the windshield and wipers.
Approximately 30 minutes after our lunch break, after multiple short stops to regain our vision, the van stuttered. Uh oh. We pressed on a little farther and then the engine died completely. We coasted to the shoulder off the road. Miraculously (and here was the first instance of our recognizing the Sovereign One in this story), we were at the end of an entrance ramp for an exit off the interstate. I checked my phone (yay for smart phones with internet!) and found there were 2 gas stations at that exit! K called my dad and they discussed the problem. Determining it was possibly moisture in the gas lines that had frozen in the below-zero temps, K headed back to the gas station on foot to buy some "Heet". Only gone 10 minutes, he returned with 2 bottles and dumped them in our gas tank (later I found out that not every gas station carries this product...which is yet another sign of God caring for our every need). We waited a bit for it to work and started the van again. Yay! It was running. We continued down the road. Five minutes later, the engine died again...we coasted to the shoulder again. We waited another 10 minutes and then restarted the van. This time we made it almost 10 minutes down the road. Then, the engine died again! Hmm, we began wondering if there might be another problem? K did some research online, while I texted friends and family to be praying. I noticed that it was not snowing anymore. By this point we were approaching a small city and began to look into car shops. As it was Saturday (and Saturday before Easter), almost all of them were closed. We recruited my dad to do some research and locate a shop that was open. We restarted the van and continued down the road. By then, we were anticipating when the next "engine quit" would happen, so we watched for an exit with a gas station. Most of the exits seemed to only be to residential neighborhoods, so we continued. Amazingly, the van didn't quit and we drove for over 15 minutes before seeing an exit with a gas station. We pulled into the station and left the van running. K got on the phone and called the people at our destination for the day. He explained our situation and asked if they thought we should look for a car shop in the city we are in OR if we should continue to try and make it to their place. Would their be a car shop/mechanic nearby if we had another problem and couldn't get there? They said to keep coming (at that point we were 45 minutes away). The van continued to run while we sat in the gas station, passing the 25 minute mark since the last engine quit. We prayed it was just moisture in the line and that it was resolved now. I bought a few groceries at the gas station, so we wouldn't have to make another stop for the day. We continued on. Miraculously, we made it the rest of the way without any more problems! The weather had cleared, so not only was the van running normally, we could also see out of the windshield without stopping to knock off ice! We pulled into our destination 12 hours after we had left that morning.
We were thankful that we had made it. But the reality of how God had protected us and provided for us didn't fully sink in until later that evening. A friend in the area, knowing some of what we'd been through, sent us a link to a news article. The interstate that we had been traveling on had been closed near the location we had stopped for lunch! Although I never saw an exact time of when it closed, it seemed that it was within an hour or two of us passing through. The reason for closure was the weather and multiple accidents (we thought back to the many cars speeding past us, seemingly comfortable in the snow and ice). I recalled my instinct to stay and wait it out a bit, but how wise it had been for K to recommend we continue slowly. God protected us from getting stuck and from being in an accident. He orchestrated the exact location our van would initially quit (within 5 minute walking distance of a gas station carrying the product we needed!). Although it was frustrating to keep having to pull off to the side to clear our windshield, we might not ever know how the timing of those stops/the vehicles that passed us, etc. protected us from going off the side of the road or being in an accident with another vehicle. God's hand over the entire day is very evident to me, a great reminder that I can trust in His Sovereignty.
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| The view just coming into the snow-area |
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| The view when we needed to clean ice off the windshield wipers |
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| The van after engine quit #2 |
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| At our final destination, lots of snow to play in! |
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| Easter sunrise, full of hope |
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| J's first time to sled and he LOVES it! |
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| B's first time to sled, also. |
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| He's thrilled! |
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| So fun! |
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| Another sledder enjoying himself! |
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| Visitors that came within 5 feet of our cottage |
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| Beautiful view of Pikes Peak |
His Way
God sent me on, when I would stay
('Twas cool within the wood);
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a boulder crashing by
'Cross the path where I had stood.
He had me stay when I would go;
"Your will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the path I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
I ask no more the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He does know,
And He will choose safe paths for me.
[From Sunday School Times, March 30 in "Streams in the Desert"]
