The Blessings of God Part Three

“Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people.”

- Psalm 3:8

Our current residence is on a major highway in Georgia. With factories and a nuclear facility nearby, traffic is constant. Trucks carry fresh-cut logs to the paper mill. Half the city travels to work at the plant each morning and evening. People pull in and out of local gas stations and convenient stores. At any time during the day, one may or may not safely travel this particular highway.

Recently, a local newspaper covered the accident rate on local roads. This highway ranks as the worst for deadly accidents. More than four people have died on this road within the last two years. The main cause of these deadly crashes? People who aren’t paying attention and pull out in front of another driver who is traveling sixty miles per hour or more.

Two days ago, I traveled the highway, taking my children to day camp at our church. Driving sixty miles per hour, I approached a side road. A man in a large, white car sat at the end of the road, looking as if he was paying attention. However, as I neared, I slowed just a bit, because I noticed him looking in the opposite direction and beginning to pull out. I wouldn’t have enough time to stop before broadsiding him if he did pull out. What do you know? He did it anyway. He whipped his car out in front of me, never bothering to look in my direction. I slammed on my brakes and laid my hand across my horn. Fool.

I had just finished telling my children the importance of wearing their seat belts. The night before, I’d read of a woman who started a beauty pageant in memory of her daughter, who died in a car accident because she wasn’t wearing her seat belt. Two of my own children “forget” to put on their seat belts 98% of the time. As my daughter listened to my explanation of what happens when we forget to do important things, she clicked her seat belt into its buckle and asked if I would miss her and cry if she died. Absolutely! My son also made certain his seat belt was properly buckled. Not two miles down the road, the man pulled in front of me.

God is gracious and knew I would have this experience. I managed to turn my vehicle just enough to get around the back end of the man’s boat of a car. We missed him. God saved us from a nasty accident.

I thanked God for His protection, His salvation, and His blessing that day. I held gratitude in my heart for Him as He watched over my children and me in our travels down a deadly highway.

God’s blessing is upon His people. You. Me. Our children. Salvation belongs to Him. What blessing have you received from Him lately? How has God saved you or a family member or a friend? Remember to thank Him for those things today.

I’m going to go write mine in my Thankful Journal today, so I’m not quick to forget just how blessed I am.