He Commands His Angels Concerning Thee

God will command His angels to protect you wherever you go.

Psalm 91:11 (CEV)

When I was a teenager, I used to love a song by Amy Grant called “Angels Watching Over Me”. Some of the lyrics are, “God only knows the times my life was threatened just today. A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way. Near misses all around me – accidents unknown – though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home.” The melody was catchy and the beat was appealing. I knew the words by heart but I can’t say that really got the meaning. I was young and invincible. No doubt, there have been countless times that the Lord has preserved my life when I have been absolutely unaware but one night nearly 15 years after I last remember cranking the volume on this song, the Lord proved it miraculously true!

It wasn’t long after my Dad had passed away. Kent was away on business and Mom and I had decided to take the kids to a local hotel for the night. The hotel had a great pool and waterslide and all of us seemed to need the break. We had enjoyed splashing around in the pool and tucked the children into their beds, when I remembered something at home that I needed. It was late but Mom was there to watch over the sleeping darlings so I dashed home to retrieve the forgotten article.

We had had such a great evening that I was overwhelmed with songs of thanksgiving and praise for the Lord. It is an unspeakable joy when the Lord proves Himself present and comforting in grief. It was a short drive to my home and back. I was going through the last intersection before the entrance to the hotel parking lot and I was completely lost in the worship of our Almighty God when I heard the screeching of tires and life catapulted into slow motion.

A pick-up truck had slammed on its brakes and was “sliding” sideways just inches from my van. He had run the red light. Had I seen him or had any thought that he was there, I would have hit my own brakes from pure instinct. Rather than narrowly missing the rear of the driver’s side, I am confident that he would have struck me somewhere around my door. With the speed at which he was driving, there is little doubt that my mom would have lost a daughter that day and my children their mother.

The driver of the truck obviously shared my opinion as he managed his way to the curb and just sat there – shook – for what must have been five minutes. I somehow navigated into the hotel parking lot just across the street from the truck and sat in stunned silence. I had never come so close to disaster. I was in awe of the fact that had I not been lost in worship, I would have been dead. O how wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus! Praise His Name!

When I got up to the room, Mom met me at the door. The room was dark yet her first words were “what happened?” Initially, I thought she must have seen the still stunned look on my face but she went on to explain… She had climbed into bed next to Taylor, ready to fall asleep, when she felt an urgent need to intercede for me. Though she had no idea what was transpiring only a few hundred feet away, she was overwhelmed with the sense that I was in trouble. She immediately fell to her knees beside the bed and yielded to the urgings of the Holy Spirit. Though she didn’t know what to pray, the Spirit interceded for her with groans and utterances that words could not express. She got up from her knees only as I came to the door.

Why does the Lord do that? Call others to wait on Him as He performs a miracle? I don’t know. I think it must have something to do with the fact that neither the one being rescued nor the one interceding ever forgets how the hand of God moved. Nor will either ever quickly dismiss such urgings as coincidence again. I cannot explain why the Lord chooses to partner with His people in such a way but I do know that the Bible says that sometimes “we have not because we ask not.” I am so grateful that Mom fell to her knees for me and forever indebted to the One who hears and answers our prayers!

I will never give up hope or stop praising You.

All day long I will tell the wonderful things You do to save Your people.

But You have done much more than I could possibly know.

I will praise You, LORD God,

For Your mighty deeds and Your power to save.

Psalm 71:14-16 (CEV)