Have you ever looked at someone and just found yourself in awe? They have a tight walk with God, they have an ease when encountering life’s obstacles, and they have a solid family and home life… all good things. There are only a few people in my life that I recognize a smidgeon of envy for, and one of them is my husband. He has a calm and easy way that draws people in, he has the best kiddos around, and his wife is amazing!
Yes, yes… I’m hilarious! But I do actually envy my husband at times for his discernment and ease in hearing from God.
When we were living in Alaska, he had a God-moment during his daily commute – he would always drop the kiddos off at school on his way to work. In this moment, God impressed upon him to figure out what he would do if a car crossed over into his lane (only the two lanes). but there was nowhere to go to avoid a collision. During the day, he would think about this dilemma – what would he do? What could he do? He went through multiple scenarios over and over again. And again. And again. For about three days, he would mull over the different options.
One morning, on the way to drop the kiddos off at school, one of the cars driving in his direction caught his eye and God told him that was the car – a little red car. He started to slow down and pumped his brakes to alert the people behind him. His father (he was in the passenger seat – they worked together) asked what was wrong and my husband pointed out the car – that red car is going to come into our lane. About that time, the car started veering into my husband’s lane.
Because my husband had been working out what his reaction would be, studying out the different scenarios, he was able to stay calm and focused. He crowded the shoulder so he had room to maneuver, stayed at a steady but slow pace so that he could still adjust course, and he saw in his mirrors that the line of cars behind him had come to a stop because they saw what was going on.
The car that God had pointed out to my husband started to swerve back into their lane, but the vehicle my family was in was still going to be hit. My husband had already worked out his response and did what he knew would offer the best outcome – he gassed it. Instead of a head-on collision, instead of horrific injuries and costly property damages, the other vehicle barely clipped the tail end of the truck.
No one was injured, only two vehicles were involved, and all because my husband heard and listened to God.
That day could have turned out so differently for our family and for many other families represented on that road. I have always wanted to have that access, the ears to hear God’s voice, and the discernment to act. I know that we’re not supposed to compare ourselves with others – we’re all given different spiritual gifts and talents… but that doesn’t take away that desire to hear God so clearly.
Sharing testimonies like the one with the little red car are so very important. Testimonies are meant to encourage – look at what God did for us! And because God doesn’t have favorites, that means what He does for one, He’ll do the same for you (Romans 2:11). This is one of several testimonies that we regularly share. We also have a testimony about God parting the rain, my husband being saved from a tsunami, and the chains of addiction being broken in a moment.
But I’m writing to tell you about a new one.
We moved about a month ago to more of a country setting than city. My daily routine hasn’t changed much. Every morning, I wake up and have a 30-minute brisk walk on my walking pad. I usually check my email, scroll social media, or read while I do my walking, but there was one morning that was a bit different. I knew my husband was planning to do some window repairs on his sister’s home (she’s our next-door neighbor).
Now, aside from some of the ways I envy him, we have a really good relationship, so when I pictured him falling from the second floor to his death, I knew it wasn’t something I was hoping to see happen. I even pictured myself running over to him – lying dead on the ground – and panic-praying life back into him. Um, Alisha, you must think your faith is stronger than it is…
While I believe God’s promises to be true, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to carry the weight of those promises. I was walking on my walking pad, picturing my ugly-crying self, hunched over the shell of what was once my husband who was no longer with me. And there was nothing I could do to bring him back.
I may not be strong enough to carry the weight of all of God’s promises, but I have gotten pretty good about redirecting my thoughts (II Corinthians 10:5). So instead of focusing on the idea of my life without my husband, I started praying over him. I felt an urgency to pray Psalm 91 over him. I started speaking life over his work, protection over his actions, and health over his body.
And then life went on. I went about my day, I ran the typical errands, I fed animals (not referring to my kiddos), I fed kiddos (not referring to the animals), the kiddos got their school assignments done, and we said our prayers before bed. It was two whole days later that my husband shared something with me that stopped me in my tracks.
Just nonchalantly tidying up the kitchen after feeding the animals (the kiddos this time), and he asked me if he had told me about how he almost died a couple days before. Um, no…?
My husband was on the job, working alone that day, and was doing a bit of demolition. Every time he went to hit the object that needed to be torn out, the noise hurt his ears. Most of the time he just keeps plugging away, but he decided this time to put his ear protection on. He doesn’t usually wear them because they’re big, solid, heavy, and they muffle out almost all sounds. They’re a nuisance.
But when the board let loose and whacked him in his ear protection instead of his head, they probably saved his life. He said that it rang his bell pretty well and he saw stars dancing around his head. I asked him about when this happened – what day? It happened the same day and about an hour and a half after I prayed over him.
While I do envy my husband’s ability to hear God and his ease with conversing with the Creator of all things, he doesn’t always act on it. I think that’s the struggle most of us have. We might hear God, but we don’t always recognize that it’s Him or we get so caught up in what we see and hear around us. I didn’t recognize that it was His poking me to pray when I pictured my husband dying, but I did recognize that I would rather pray for my husband’s protection instead of praying for him to come back to life.
I can see now that it all goes back to who we believe our Father to be. Is He a good Father – always steering us in the right direction and working good things out from what the enemy wants to use to destroy us? Or do we believe God is the one who brings destruction to our door, and we just have to accept that it must be His will for this bad thing to happen to us? This is not an opinion piece – we have to take a look at scripture, at truth:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASB
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Romans 2:4 NLT
Whether it’s your thoughts or dreams or anything else, if it doesn’t offer abundant life – if it’s not good – then it’s not from God. I wrote a few weeks ago that if it’s not good, then God’s not done. Take some time to pray over your family. Read and reread passages like Psalm 23 and Psalm 91. Yes, we’re going to face trials, we’re going to have struggles and hardships in this life. But God has given us the tools (His Word and very being living inside us) to walk in victory.