Stopped Cold, But Saved Warm
Well, hello there, friend! It’s so good to have you come by here today. So, step on up to this ol’ front porch and settle yourself right into a good, comfy chair that’s seen more summers than that wise ol’ turtle that’s always nappin’ right over there under the porch steps. You know, life has a way of surprising us, kind of like when you think you’re reachin’ for a jar of peach preserves and discover that a lil’ ol’ raccoon beat you to it, and he’s plum starin’ right at you sittin’ right up on the shelf like you just interrupted his breakfast. Some days git to feelin’ real steady, then suddenly somethin’ small, stubborn, and woodsy reminds you that you’re not the one drivin’ the wagon. That’s why Proverbs 16:9 fits like a quilt stitched by a grandma with real good stories to tell. It says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” And He sho’-nuff does it with a tenderness that plum shows up even when life gits to feelin’ like it’s going completely sideways.
Years ago, a pastor friend of mine told me about a winter mornin’ that plum changed how he got to lookin’ at disappointment. He lived on a little patch of land with an ol’ barn that leaned so far to the left it looked like it was tryin’ to listen to gossip from the chickens. Before dawn he bundled himself up, grabbed his keys, and marched right out to the barn to get his pickup for a meetin’ he believed would open a long prayed for ministry door.
He remembered Psalm 37:23 right then, “The Lord delights in the steps of the one who trusts Him,” and he trusted that this step mattered. But when he tried to slide the barn door open, frozen shut, it plum refused to budge. It was stuck tighter than a lil’ ol’ deer that tucked itself behind a cedar tree during a cold snap. He pushed real hard. He pulled with all his might. He muttered and sputtered. He prayed, too, recalling Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.” He kicked it once, which sure did hurt his toe and only startled a really cold ol’ possum that had been hidin’ right under a big feed bucket.
Defeated, he trudged his way on back to the house and called to say he couldn’t make it to that meetin’ after all.
Hours later he learned that the all-important meetin’ had been canceled because a gas line had ruptured right near the building. If he’d made it to the meetin’ on time, he’d have been stuck right in the middle of that dangerous situation. Right then Psalm 121:8 came alive to him, “The Lord watches over your coming and going.”
From that day forward, he thanked God for frozen barn doors. He thanked God for the delays that made no sense. He thanked God for all those interruptions that felt like setbacks but were actually holy protection. And Isaiah 55:8 whispered truth over it all, “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.”
Sometimes God’s mercy looks like a door that just won’t open no matter how hard you tug. That “no” might be the greatest “yes” you’ll ever receive.
Father, thank You for every closed door that protects me. Help me trust Your timing, Your wisdom, and Your gentle guidance. Teach me to rest in Your leading and to welcome Your interruptions with faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Ok then, friend. You gotta be takin’ this truth with you and holdin’ it in a special place right down in your soul. God can take a frozen barn door and plum turn it into a shield stronger than an ol’ pine tree that’s stood in its place through several generations. He can take your disappointments and make ‘em wiser than an ol’ hoot owl that’s watched every season come and go. He can turn your delays into pathways straighter than a flooded creek bed after a long rain. And He can take every closed door and use it to be keepin’ you safe so that He can guide you exactly to where His goodness has already prepared a special place for you to be in servin’ Him.
With joy,
Gwen
