A Story Worth Telling

Does God really intervene in small ways to protect us from harm, even when we have no knowledge of danger?

One day last year, we traveled all afternoon on Interstate 80 across northern Pennsylvania. As we approached Ohio, I tried to call for a reservation at an RV Park located between Akron and Youngstown. No luck. I tried again and again, first at the national reservation number, then at the Park itself.

By now, Loreen was driving. Just beyond Youngstown, she pulled into a truck stop for fuel. She turned too quickly, and found herself among the pumps assigned to cars. It took several turns around cars and pumps to finally make our way out to the diesel pumps where all the trucks were lined up. We filled up with fuel and water.

I got a bright idea. “Why don’t we just park here for the night?” I asked. It was already 6:00. We hadn’t eaten anything yet, and a fine restaurant was located just across the parking lot. We parked the truck and trailer at the back of the lot and walked over to the restaurant. When we returned to the trailer, we carefully conserved battery power by using few lights and turning in early.

We awoke before sunrise, and found ourselves in total darkness. The battery in the trailer was completely dead. I couldn’t understand it. We had power the night before. Because of the darkness, we decided to dress quickly and walk to a nearby fast food restaurant to have breakfast. We finished and were ready to go in short order.

Since we left the truck and trailer hitched up the night before, I was surprised when the control for the trailer brakes did not show a connection. I checked as best I could in the darkness. I dug out my trailer manuals and studied them. I couldn’t find what my problem might be. I tried the brakes and they seemed to work. We started out, trusting God. All the way to Indiana, I left plenty of distance between us and other traffic. I didn’t trust the brakes.

We arrived at our destination about noon. When I parked the trailer and unhitched the truck, I made a chilling discovery. The cable for the breakaway switch had caught under the hitch and pulled the switch out. The breakaway switch is an emergency feature. It’s designed to stop a trailer by delivering 12 volts of battery power to the trailer brakes. Apparently, all those turns around the pumps wedged the cable under the hitch. Then the switch pulled out as I backed into a parking space. We sat in the truck stop all night while the battery drained to nothing.

I called an RV service center in Middlebury, Indiana to deliver the bad news. We already had an appointment for service the following week, but now I had more work for them to do. The technician who answered my call asked lots of questions, and then said, “You’re very fortunate. If the battery had been at full power when you drove with the switch engaged, the trailer wheels would have locked up. You would have ruined your brakes, and perhaps even crashed.” He promised to check the electrical system, but he indicated his belief that all would be fine.

Does God really intervene in small ways to protect us from harm, even when we have no knowledge of danger? I think I know the answer. In the Psalter it is written, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

MAY YOU BE BLESSED THROUGHOUT THE COMING YEAR
AS YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN HIM