Jan and I were returning home, driving along Interstate 5 south of Canyonville, Oregon. On this part of the freeway, the roadway is surrounded by steep canyons and sharp curves where Interstate 5 cuts through the mountains. It was on that stretch of road that we had a life-threatening experience.
As we drove through the canyons, we were hemmed in between a tall concrete freeway divider and a passing semi-truck. At that moment, an unexpected, intense, and blinding downpour of hail took place. So intense that the road was immediately covered by over an inch of hail, and our forward line of sight was greatly reduced.
As we drove through the hail-covered road, we began to hydroplane. I lost control of our car, and we began to drift toward the spinning rear wheels of the semi. We were turned by the effect of the hydroplaning almost 180 degrees as we spun further out of control. The event happened so quickly that all I could do came in the form of a shout, “Jesus, help us!” In the next moment, I was able to regain traction and maneuver us through the rest of the hail and reenter my lane.
What happened that day on the freeway is a reminder of what will happen to us in the future when perilous events suddenly and unexpectedly appear. This danger is not just something that will happen to us individually. It can happen regarding global events when worldwide events spin out of human control.
In those moments, when we have lost control of the outcome, our rescue will no longer be in our hands. All our training, experience, and preparation will not provide us with a way of escape. In those moments, we will only be able to cry out, “Jesus, help us!” In that moment, our fate will be in the hands of God. When our lives appear to be hydroplaning out of control, it is then that we will experience the power of the Lord’s delivering hand.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
Glad the Lord saved you! I think of this verse also when Holy Spirit shows me 234.