Learning in a Traffic Jam

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled: You believe in God. Believe also in Me!” John 14:1 ESV

One Friday afternoon as we inched through traffic on the expressway, our car suddenly made a sound I had never heard before. The engine died, but we were rolling just enough to coast to the right shoulder before stopping. My heart was anything but untroubled and in those days before cell phones we couldn’t even call for help. I got out, began pacing and throwing my hands up in the air while shouting “I can’t believe it!”  That was when my wife quietly came alongside and said, “Honey. Why don’t we just pray? God will work this out”

Photo by Levent Simsek on Pexels.com

“Sure let’s pray.” I muttered, though not feeling convinced about any of God’s plans.” But soon afterward a state trooper stopped and called for a tow. In another twenty minutes a truck came and since our car was not operational we were invited to ride up front. There above the roar of the engine we got a colorful earful as the driver alternately shouted and honked the horn while forcing his way up the shoulder to the exit and I just stared out the window. But as we pulled into the parking lot of the garage I was surprised when my wife happily shouted; “Look honey! It’s the perfect place!” That was when I looked to where she was pointing and laughed for the first time all day. There at the bottom of the garage’s sign was written, “Smile! God loves you!” Two hours later our car had been fixed and the thoughtful mechanic even bought us dinner! That’s how I discovered that our loving God intervenes even when we think He’s forgotten and that He calms troubled hearts if we will believe.

Walking With The Invisible God

This post is from a devotional book I wrote a while back but I posted it today because it is so much like the battles many of us are going through today. It is a reminder that when our spiritual walk seems more like a spiritual trudge we need to remember who we are trudging with! We walk with an invisible God on an invisible road to an invisible destination! What a totally insane thing it is to live by faith – and yet – God delights in exactly that. The apostle Peter puts this crazy walk of faith in different words, 

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Peter 1:8

If your walk of faith feels like you are wading through mud, remember that God has chosen those times for us to have opportunity to know Him better. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a mysterious letter written from the future as happened in the film “The Lake House”? If you haven’t seen the film it has an odd twist of two people from different times who have never met yet through their letters they come to know each other and fall in love. That is in some ways like our own mysterious love letter “The Bible”! 

We would love to know more details but by God’s design we are given His word. It is our staircase to heaven. The word of God is a light that shines in our dark place and it is our shelter from the storm. God’s word is a treasure hidden in a field and it is our pearl of greatest price. The more we don’t know or understand the more precious the riches of God’s eternal word become. I don’t understand this plan God has chosen yet by faith I am walking with my invisible God on His invisible road to His invisible destination!

Though I did not write this post to promote this book, ff you would like to order a copy you can find it here _ God bless and have a great week

Questions Not Asked

Since we have heard of Christ and were told

He is the answer and teacher of all

So when if distressed and can’t find our way

Remember on Him we can call

He has promised us answers

And to stay by our side

In our battles be strength

And our Shield

He’s the Savior of all

To all who will come

When our questions to Jesus we yield

Because there’s a day at the end of the road

When we’ll turn and look back at what’s past

And see that the doubts and worries we carried

Were all from those questions not asked

 Questions Not Asked by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved