Ordered steps...

18/3/2025

   Buck was taking a morning walk on his property when he was shot by someone driving by on the highway. As the driver fled the scene, Buck was left to fight for his life.
   He lost consciousness but when he revived, he felt intense pain mainly on the right side of his neck, near his carotid artery. There was a lot of blood. He even lost sight in his right eye. Pure adrenaline pushed him to reach a neighbour’s house, but no one was at home. He collapsed to the ground and crawled to his uncle’s home, about six hundred yards away. His uncle rushed him to the hospital.
   X-rays showed that he had almost fifty pellets lodged throughout his body. Some of them life threateningly close to one of two carotid arteries which supply blood and oxygen to the brain. He had to do an MRI. On hearing of Buck’s injuries, his father, a Pastor, rallied prayer support for his son. Thirty minutes after the MRI, Buck was told that, had the carotid artery been pierced by one of the pellets, he could have bled out in a couple of minutes. The doctor told him that he is a true miracle. They removed what pellets they could, treated his wounds and sent him home to recover, the very same day.
   Buck’s attacker was later apprehended and charged with the serial murders of three other men in the area. They had been targeted in the same way Buck had been. He was angry because of how the other men had been killed and for no reason, yet, because he knows God’s hand is on him, he has chosen not to hold a grudge. Buck takes comfort in God’s goodness. He knows that the steps of a good man are ordered by God. Had he been jogging, he would have been closer to the highway and so within closer range when the gunman passed by and might not have been alive today. He truly believes that God’s hand is upon his life, hence the reason why he was able to escape death.
   I felt overwhelmed by this testimony. Buck was so close to death but God’s hand was upon his life. Numerous pellets entered his body, yet not one was able to take him out! God had another plan for him. Let’s face it, no matter the attacks coming against you and no matter how numerous they may be, God has a plan for you and the attacks against you have to submit to God’s plan and purpose for your life!
   When his father heard about his injuries, he took comfort in Philippians 4:7: “And the peace of God which passes all understanding…” He acknowledged that at times we may not understand what is happening but there is a peace that gives us the faith to believe that God is going to take care of the situation. To me that’s powerful. No matter how dire things look, no matter how hopeless, when we rest in God’s peace, we rest in the reality that God is going to handle that situation for us. We don’t have to stress or fuss, God’s got us covered.
   What also catches my attention is the fact that Buck’s steps were ordered by God that day. As he rightly realised, had he been going at a faster pace, he would have been closer to the highway and therefore within closer range of the gunman’s attack. As God’s children, our steps are ordered by God (Psalm 37:23). Many times, we don’t even realise the things God is protecting us from, the places He is preventing us from getting to, the opportunities He is allowing us to miss. We may see it as a negative, but God knows exactly what He is doing and why He has told us “no” or even “wait.” Trust that God has your back, and that although, sometimes, disappointments may be appointments by Him, sometimes they may be His protection from what we cannot see. God knows even when we don’t.
As God’s child, you are safer than you realise. God is guiding, protecting and covering you even though you can’t always see it. You are serving a God who knows how to take care of His own. He will not fail you, He will not leave you to handle problems on your own. He is always there, a present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
   If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. There is nothing that can come your way that God cannot handle. God is all-Powerful, all-Mighty…He is able. We may fail, but God never will!