A mangled wreck...

          I watched a video this week about a couple who were involved in a vehicular accident. When I saw the title of the video I wasn’t in the mood for a sad story because I wasn’t sure they had survived but I decided to watch to see what it was all about. 
         They were driving along at 75 miles per hour when the truck drifted off the road and slammed into a pillar. The truck was reduced to a mangled heap and the couple lay trapped inside. The young man’s girlfriend in the passenger seat turned and saw that his head had gone through the windscreen and that he was motionless. She started screaming in an effort to alert some help in an area that seemed deserted. Suddenly, she saw a man on the road outside smiling at her. She believed that he was her guardian angel. He told her that an ambulance was coming, and she felt assured that they were going to be alright. At the hospital, they received a few stitches, had slight concussions, no internal injuries and in less that 48 hours were released from the hospital. When they returned to the crash site they found the young man’s bible open with scripture verses highlighted, encouraging them to not be afraid, Jesus was with them. 
         The paramedics were amazed that they did not die instantly and when you look at the picture of their mangled truck even you would wonder how in the world they possibly survived. The young woman understood that it was certainly God and that He has a plan and purpose for their lives. She knew that it could have been worse, that the force of the impact could have severed their bodies but God did not allow that to happen. She acknowledged that God had guided her boyfriend to direct the vehicle in such a way that ended up saving their lives. She gives God all the credit knowing that if it were not for God they would not have survived. 
         After looking at this video I felt so in awe of the God I serve. He is indeed the God of the impossible. I felt immense hope for impossible situations in my own life. In the book of Jeremiah, God asked the prophet: “Is there anything too hard for me?” This question arose after God told him to purchase some land although they were about to be taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. If they were going to be taken captive by their enemies and their land destroyed, why would God ask him to purchase a field? It did not make any sense that in the face of certain disaster God would give such an instruction. But He did because He knew that they would one day return to their land (Jeremiah 32:1-15, 26-27).    
          Sometimes to us a situation seems so hopeless, like it’s the end of our story but then God steps in and assures us that it isn’t. When that couple looked at the remains of their truck, they knew that that should have been the end of their story, but it wasn’t because God had a different plan for them. He even allowed them to go through that traumatic experience just for them to experience Him in a greater way. As the young woman admitted afterwards, she would go through that accident again if it meant helping more people know God. They are both thankful for the experience because they got to see God’s love and faithfulness to them. 
           I remember when I was backslidden. Like that truck I had veered off course and didn’t even realize it at first. I was heading in a direction that was not God’s plan for my life. I was consequently battling with depression and was confused wondering why I was feeling that way. I finally realized the reason ... I had moved away from God and was acutely feeling at times the disconnect. I finally returned to the Lord but I had battles to face. It was a beautiful time in the Lord but I was also battling feelings of inadequacy, discouragement, suicidal thoughts and having to deal with struggles in the flesh. I may have been looking alright on the outside but at times the battles made me feel all messed up and hopeless on the inside. However, the more I spent time with God in prayer, fasting and reading His Word, gradually the battles got less and less. The suicidal thoughts and desires finally completely left along with various battles in the flesh that I was struggling with. My mangled mess didn’t get straightened out right away. It took years of consistently pursuing God and learning to trust and obey Him. Just like that couple I thank God for my mangled mess because I can use it to encourage others in the Lord and as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to me during those times when I didn’t even deserve it.
         God has the final say. No matter what comes our way, when we put our lives in God’s hands, He will craft the perfect story for us. It does not mean, however, a course free from sin, discouragement, hurt, suffering or failure. It does mean though that our Way Maker is there with us making a way through every challenge, every test that comes our way. As the Bible aptly says, “With men it is impossible but not with God, for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).  
         I invite you to ask Jesus Christ to come into your life if you have not done so already. I cannot promise you a life without any messes along the way but I can promise you a God who will ensure that your story is crafted exactly the way it should be according to His perfect plan for your life; a story where you will be able to look back and say “it was well worth it!”

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