For Elijah, God showed up in a whisper. (See 1 Kings 19:11-13)
For me, God showed up on a motorcycle.
Driving through a not-so-safe-small-town on my way home from a funeral in Tennessee, my car blew out a tire. I didn’t hear anything, so I wasn’t certain of it at first. But my tire gauge told me my PSI had quickly dropped to 22. After that, it began declining every few seconds.
I called friends who lived close by. No answer. I thought, “if I can make it to a gas station on the edge of town, it will be well lit.” By the time I arrived, my PSI number was nine. My heart sank when I saw only darkness surrounding the station.
Why were they closed? It was only 10 p.m. on a Friday night. I had no choice but to pull up to the air pump and try to get air in the tire. That didn’t work because by that time, the tire was completely flat. Zero air in it.
As I stood by my car, I saw someone driving toward me on a motorcycle. I quickly ran and jumped in the car; I wasn’t taking any chances. He yelled, “I’m not going to hurt you,” as he passed me. He drove to the end of the parking lot, turned around and headed back my way. My heart in my throat, I cracked my window as he stopped beside me.
His name was Jeremiah. He told me he had seen me from his house, knew the area of town was dangerous, so he came to help. He informed his wife, “I’m going to go help that old lady.” Okay, so my night was getting worse by the second. I’d never been called old lady before, at least not to my face!
I said a quick prayer for protection and got out of the car. My rescuer talked in colorful language while changing the tire out with the spare. At one point, his head darted out from under the car seconds before the jack stand collapsed. My concern escalated.
As a side note, a friend talked with me over the phone as I spoke to Jeremiah throughout the entire encounter. Always quick to help, she had jumped in her car and headed my way, arriving the second time around with the jack. Jeremiah secured the spare tire, loaded the old one in my car, all while sharing many of his life stories. I thanked him as we said our goodbyes.
Later, sharing my story with another friend, she suggested, “God sent an angel to help you.” My quick reply was, “He was no ‘angel.’ I don’t think angels talk like that.”
However, Jeremiah means appointed by God in Hebrew. I had no doubt that God sent him to my rescue, riding in on a two-wheeled chariot, rough language and all.
Be confident of this. God walks beside us when we are afraid. He isn’t just for the Moses’ of the world. He’s for us too. After the death of Moses, God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5 NIV)
Just as God called Joshua to trust, we can trust Him at his word and put our faith in Him.
What is your story? How has God rescued you? Do you need rescuing now? I share this story because I’ve been there countless times. Sometimes from my own mistakes and failures. Each time, God has been beside me, sending his appointed to save the day.
