And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

We hit the road for an early echocardiogram appointment two days before Thanksgiving and low and behold, we found ourselves in the least expected situation. Stranded on an Alaskan highway in 7 degree weather, with snow blowing all around us in the most dangerous intersection of the 142 mile stretch of highway, at 7:30 a.m., was not on my agenda that morning. We had our day planned out, but other plans panned out. And it gave us yet another opportunity to trust our Heavenly Father. What could have turned deadly quickly in those frigid weather conditions, instead was a rescue by an angel.

As we sat there on the side of the road with no heat, trying not to panic, we wondered how soon a tow truck in this small rural town could deliver us to an auto body shop. In full survival mode, trying to figure out what went horribly wrong and how to get out of the elements-something miraculous happened. Lovely people-3 different cars to be exact-began to pull over asking if we were ok. My biggest priority was finding someone who could take us home so we didn’t freeze to death. And we did. A woman on her way to work at the local hospital agreed to drive us 20 minutes in the opposite direction on this dark, snowy morning. And while the day sure didn’t end there, God kept providing.

Shortly after arriving home, my husband, who stayed with the car, was able to get a tow to the auto repair shop about an hour later. Several hours after that, the bad news came that our engine in our only vehicle-a car, with only 36,000 miles on it, mind you, likely blew due to the fault of the auto repair shop who changed our oil recently. And, it didn’t stop there. The owner told us he wasn’t sure there was even a rental car available in town. But again, God provided. With a rental car, my husband was on his way home. Once home, he gave me the news that the auto shop would pay for our rental car through Thanksgiving until the following Monday and then “figure something out”. Once again, our faith muscles were tested, and again, He provided.

And not only did he provide physically, he provided a new perspective: that a disaster can be an opportunity. It’s all about perspective, really. We can look at an extremely trying situation as a nightmare, or we can see the silver lining and what God may be trying to teach us. Maybe a day gone awry is actually a blessing in disguise-a strengthening of our faith-a lesson in learning to trust our Creator more fully. As for our car, we are still waiting for answers. Several events followed leaving us even further in the dark, which I will write about in another post. For now, while we are still unsure when our vehicle will be fixed, we will continue to trust.

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. -Isaiah 41:13