Amarillo, Texas had just been buffeted with a rare ice storm, leaving the streets slippery and glass-like. Traffic was slow on the smaller, residential streets, but as I got onto the interstate, everyone seemed immune to the recent climate change. They flew by with regular speed, anxious to get to work on time like I was. I shook my head in wonder. Crazy Amarillians! They never know how to safely drive in the winter!
Though a few cars sped passed me like their tails were on fire, I maintained a slightly slower pace. But it wasn’t slow enough. Suddenly, my blue Ford Explorer hit black ice, and I spun out of control. No amount of frantic hand or foot work would slow my crazy plunge toward the overpass railing – my only barrier between me and the access road below. All I could do was scream, “JESUS!”
As quickly as I had lost control, I came to a screeching halt in front of the railing. My heart pounding, I got out to examine my predicament. To my amazement, my Explorer’s bumper wasn’t even touching the railing. No scratches, no dents. Just proof that something greater than ice had stopped my impending decent to the street beneath me.
I have no doubt that my desperate cry for deliverance in the Name of Jesus had saved me from going over the railing that day. Under normal circumstances, an accident between me and another oncoming car was more than likely. But no railing or oncoming car was a match for the power of Jesus’ Name that day.
Psalm 91:14 says, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known My name.”
God is looking to “set on high” – to protect and deliver – those who love Him and understand the power of His name. It’s so much more than having someone to frantically call on in a desperate situation. It’s a life-style of staying close to our Protector in everything we do. Instead of being our last resort in a pinch, His Name is the first cry from our lips.
Christa Madrid 