When Life Spins Out of Control, Let God Drive

Nahum 1:7, "The Lord is good; He protects His people in times of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him."

Friday morning, February 1, 2019, I was driving to work as I would normally. I always pray for traveling mercies before leaving my driveway and on this particular day, as I was led to do, I said an additional one around the halfway mark before arriving to my job. We'd been having some very unpredictable weather for our area and for this time of year. Sub-zero temperatures with wind chill factors well below normal. This morning proved to be as unpredictable as the weather. The commute was primarily smooth but due to the low temps overnight and the roads being wet from the melting snow from the week, I drove with caution due to possible ice spots being a possibility. As I made my left turn onto the street that was just 7 minutes from work, I'd noticed the cars ahead were traveling a little slower than average. So I kept my distance. I was cautious. I was mindful. I was at a safe distance from the car in front of me. I was going to be a few minutes late but I'd already informed my boss of this but this stretch seemed to be putting me even more behind. I continued on my way, staying alert when all of the sudden, without warning, I went into a spin! A spin so bad that I didn't even slide at first to warn me. I went into a full blown spin. It proved to be the most terrifying driving experience of my life! I continued to spin out of control, into the oncoming traffic, missing 3 vehicles, trying to gain control of my car, spinning into my directional lanes, barely missing a car in front of me who obviously saw me in their rear view mirror because they were trying to move out of the way. I even think at one point I might have let go of the wheel as there was just nothing I could do. I felt the blood rushing to my head, and while I was fighting to not pass out, I just called to Jesus to help me. As I completed my third full spin, I saw my car heading straight for a pole! I'm not sure what went through my mind at that moment nor any other part of this experience for that matter, but all I remember is turning my steering wheel hard to the right! This must have been subconsciously because I NARROWLY missed the pole, with my back of my car fishtailing around the opposite direction of the pole, jumped the curb and over the sidewalk up into an embankment into an open part of land at the entrance to my church! As I was going up that embankment, I hit a pit in the soil and ended up on two wheels then came to a stop! Finally! It was a harrowing, traumatic experience to say the least.

Without doubt, I knew there was just going to be yet another lesson that God was going to speak to me in my spirit. But what was it? Follow along......and it will become clear.

Resting Satisfied!

I was visibly shaken. I was a little disoriented from the adrenaline and the spinning. If I'm to be honest here, I was on "autopilot" as I don't remember actually forming any thoughts in how to handle the situation, nor do I remember what I actually did during this time. I remember the initial spin, seeing the 3 cars in the oncoming traffic, missing the one car in my lanes and the pole. Everything in between on what I did to avoid all of that as well as to avoid flipping the car, it's just not there! I truly sort of "winked" out. Once I finally came to a stop, calmed down long enough to get out of the car to see if I damaged my car, which I prayed against because I don't have the money to fix it, I sat there praising God for His protection and the angels He sent on my behalf! There were unseen forces at play because it was when I was standing outside my car that I realized I actually was on autopilot and couldn't even remember where the skid began! When I realized I barely knew what had taken place but that I knew I had been led to say an extra prayer halfway to work and that there were definitely unseen forces guiding me along, it overwhelmed me! I squatted down and thanked Jesus! It was like the enemy was trying to take me out but God was saying, "No, not today!" Very surreal to say the least! It was once again, another one of my moments of impact that I wrote about here and His Divine Protection that I wrote about here. This happening on the heals of being blessed in a divine way from my failed central heat/air unit took my breath away. A small backstory to my experience in snow! I was born and raised in Northern Ohio where it is not unusual to get several inches of snow at a time! You learn quickly to drive in it or you walk. I got married young and spent 8 years in Germany where snow is common and several inches to feet is the norm. I spent time in Colorado and we all know that is nothing but snow. I have several years experience in driving in snow. Where I live now is not in a typical Snowbelt state but it does get snow nonetheless. However, because of the location, ice, black ice and sleet are common. I usually stay home during that time. This morning it hadn't had reports of ice so I ventured out and as I said, for the most of the commute, it was fine.

When I got home and calmed down that evening, and my body finally relaxed, this post was born. At the moment when my autopilot kicked in, it was ALL God! I saw how quickly my car was spinning out of control when I thought I was doing everything right. The black ice came out of nowhere and put me, my vehicle and for a time, my life, in an out of control spin! God made a small, narrow opening of "escape" for me by His Grace and Mercy and I can't be more thankful for that act of Love that He once again showed me! How many times have you been "driving" along in life, minding your business, remaining cautious of dangerous conditions around the corner when you hit a patch of proverbial black ice and watch your life spin out of control!? It happens to us all. From my real experience of hitting black ice, I learned that God does provide a narrow escape and He does protect His children and He will become the driver when you go into autopilot because you can't remember what to do and all the blood rushed to your head! I couldn't pray. I didn't have any thought but to scream Jesus help me....He did! I believe in God's protection, provisions, Love and Mercy over anything this world can possibly offer and definitely more than anything that I can do!! We find people in the Bible who stood right smack dab in the middle of crazy situations and said, "We believe God." That's what I have to remember in my own crazy, whacked out situations! Here are just a few examples. Moses as he crossed the Red Sea, David as he faced the giant Goliath, Daniel as he stared in the eyes of lions in the lions den, Jonah as he wiped seaweed from his face in the belly of the whale. You see, life can get pretty tough, pretty dark and scary sometimes. It can suddenly spin out of control without much warning. Each day comes with its own set of problems but as it says in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Had I been in the right mind and not totally in a state of fear, I would have also remembered a promise of His given to us in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

We honestly don't know from day to day what each moment holds for us but rest assured, God does! It's a good idea to prepare for your day, pray for protections, make sure you do the necessary things before facing your day. Much the same way that I had already made sure I informed my boss that I would be a little late as it was slick out closer to work, I'd aired up my tires properly, I'd prayed for His protection to get me to work safely and to keep me alert, I didn't have any distractions on, including the radio being turned off. I prepared for my drive. That's the wise thing to do. But in no way, will it prevent black ice from creeping up on you and spinning your life out of control. Anyone who has read alot of my posts on this blog and followed some of my hardships and moments of impact also saw the hand of Protection from our Merciful God! I've had my share of near-misses, close calls, hardships and trauma! One can prepare and take the necessary precautions, but ultimately I know my life is in the hands of my Creator and I have to step aside and let Him drive. I've learned years ago, when I give Him the keys, I don't need to try to take them back and drive myself! When life begins to spin out of control and it's no fault of your own, focus on His face and He will show you and lead you to your path of escape. It might be narrow as was my escape from the black ice, or it may be a little broader. Either way, God will show you that escape route in His will and if it's His will, then it will be and nothing can stand in His way!

Change Us Through Circumstances

The black ice experience became a metaphor for how easily life can spin out of control without warning. It showed me how fragile this life really is, how easy it was to lose footing and how so many people are searching for the escape or the narrow opening in all the wrong places. They aren't searching the heart of God. They aren't looking to Him. They aren't listening for His voice. They aren't calling out to Him. And they definitely aren't letting Him drive! Sometimes our lives spin out of control because of a bad choice we have made outside of the will of God. That one choice, turns into something else, that turns into something else and before one knows it, life is out of control. Then other times, life spins out of control because of the bad choice made by someone else who starts that chain reaction. I've been on the receiving end of that as well and it could have easily ended my life when I was rear ended by a distracted driver. Other times, it just happens, as did my black ice example. What I have found out in my own journey is just how many people don't understand the full power of our Lord! They don't understand how He does protect us. They don't understand that He does provide the way of escape to His children. And as long as they try to do it all on their own, they never will understand it nor experience it. I have shared stories that I've shared in this blog with others and I see how they look at me. I watch how they have a quizzical look on their faces. I see their uncomfortable body language when I share how my Faith and my God got me supernaturally out of something! I know some of it is hard to believe especially for the unbelievers, but I've gotten the reaction from those claiming to be Christians, who should know the power of Jesus! I am not going to sugar coat any of this because the fact is, in the days that we are living, it's so important to keep our eyes on our Lord and Savior and to believe in His power to help us overcome. It's so imperative to SEE the narrow escape that He has for us in His will and to praise Him when we reach it! Does all of this mean that we won't panic, "freak out," feel sick to our stomachs or have some other real, physical reaction to what is happening to us? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, our bodies are wired to react to panic and fear or to have a fight or flight reaction. That alone doesn't mean you don't trust or believe. All that means is that you're human! With human reactions and emotions and that's OK. As long as you don't live in those emotions and forget where you need to focus on, you'll be just fine! Philippians 4:6, " Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"

He is faithful even in the midst of the frenzy of a life spinning out of control. Remember, the tighter you hold onto life when it is spinning out of control, the less peace you will have because you can't control what is happening without the help of Jesus! He shed His blood to pay our sin debt in full and His blood overcame everything! That means your life, your sins, your mistakes, your hardships, your darkness. His blood made a way for your escape from Hell! If He did that for you, don't you think He will make a way for you to escape some black ice on the road up ahead if it's His will? Sure He will! If you are willing to slow down a little and really try to stop controlling your life in your flesh, God will fill you with His peace and show you how to escape and gain control over your life again. You must realize that you're never going to be able to figure any of this out, any part of your life and that you truly don't have control over it. Know God is faithful and knows the way, and IS the ONLY way. By focusing on the God of Peace, Love and Truth, and pursuing knowing Him on a personal level, becomes the best solution in every sticky situation that you find yourself in. Earlier in this post I alluded to how people are searching for their escape in all the wrong places. Drugs. Medications. Alcohol. Worldly people/advice/possessions. Sex/pornography. Witchcraft. Occult. Technology/social media. Spiritual Gurus. Everything else BUT God! Your world may be spinning, and you may feel like it's out of control, but if you set your mind on Jesus Christ and remain calm, He will give you peace and take over. By focusing on the Promises of God, it can help you plant your feet on solid ground and help you persevere through this crazy season you can't quite comprehend.

Nothing happens without a lesson as I'm beginning to accept with each passing experience. As I hit that patch of black ice, at some points in this experience, spins and turns, my life hung so precariously on providence. Especially when I saw my car heading straight for the pole! Wisdom gained from experiences that are either brought to us from our Lord Jesus, or allowed by Him, can be profound if we are open to receiving them. Nothing can happen to us if it doesn't go through the hands of our Father first. Sometimes it's for disciplinary actions/purposes because of a sin committed, or rebellion, or bad choices by not waiting on the Lord. Other times, it might be allowed to happen to strengthen us, or to be a witness to someone else, or a testing of Faith. There are random things that happen to us that appear so minute that no lesson can be found. I understand. But the other major situations always have some kind of lesson attached to them. Always. However, please don't misunderstand. God is NOT on His throne conjuring up ways to send chaos and trouble into the lives of His children! Absolutely the opposite. He is our Deliverer and Rescuer, providing our way of escape!

Humbling My Spirit

This was clearly a terrifying moment for me! I know many of you have had, or are going through now, some pretty terrifying moments as well so we all can agree, sometimes, it's hard to see the lesson that's being taught. In my own life, trials, testings and tribulations that have come in many different forms of hardships, I know I've learned some very valuable lessons from those trying times. I know it wasn't pleasant going through them especially those that I wasn't the cause of, but I also knew that growth in Christ isn't always sunshine and rainbows either! We have to be made uncomfortable, convicted and emptied of ourselves to learn, receive and grow. 1 Peter 5:6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." We are not to cope with our troubles; we are to give them to God so if you cope, you hang onto to your troubles. Therefore, if you give it to God, you can let go. We can clearly see in the Scripture above that the Lord will comfort us, and that's honestly what we all need during our times of spinning out of control. Once we're comforted and pass through our problems to the other side, we'll then be able to help others who are entering into their own troubles, feeling life spinning out of control and not knowing where to turn. As I was researching a few things on this topic, something I briefly came across, again by no accident, resonated with my spirit. It was about the spirit of poverty. Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." One would hardly think this verse would, or could, relate to a life spinning out of control but it absolutely can!

For several weeks, prior to my actual black ice incident where I spun out of control, I'd been crying out to God about a few areas of my own life that I just felt overwhelmed in. Obviously, my central heat/air unit issue that I wrote about here but also my job. I've been praying for direction, for either a way out or if it's His will to keep me there, for peace in continuing to stand firm and speak boldly but also for financial help if I was going to remain there for a longer season. I've been grappling with this for some time, but as the past 6-8 months proved, we lost more employees, and I had been feeling a strong sense that something was going to be changing drastically and coming down the pike. It had been getting increasingly more difficult to face each day with the staff shortage in addition to the heaviness in the air that I dreaded the drive to work. There has been, and continues to be, forces working against me there and primarily due to my boldness. That morning was no different. I prayed for a good spirit to face the day and to be able to be of good cheer. I didn't know what direction to take with my career at this point, but felt a sense of obligation beyond my understanding, nor do I have any more clarity. I'd honestly been spinning in circles and spinning my wheels trying to seek His will in this while grappling with why I couldn't seem to find a "way out" of this department. I concluded, it just wasn't time for me yet and God wasn't done. My dear mentor friend said it best. She said, paraphrased of course, "They need you there to keep things running for whatever changes are coming that you sense. Because you're bold and you stand on the word, God needs you there for a bit longer so you can help with the upcoming changes that you foresee. When it's time, He'll open the door to something else, if that's what His will is for you. It might be right where you're at for a shorter season still and because you've been patient and waited and remained dedicated, you might be surprised what He actually has in store." And so I hung my head.....

Poverty of Spirit is the first in the Beatitudes so it must be pretty important! However, even though it's the 1st of the Beatitudes, poverty isn't necessarily just about material deprivation. I think true poverty is any situation that is sorrowful, suffering, precarious, humiliating, etc. Poverty's when someone you love has cancer, when you're unable to resolve some difficult, painful tension between you and a loved one, when you discover someone in your household is an alcoholic, when you realize the job you have, no longer pays all of the bills or the company no longer appreciates your value. But maybe it's a bit more about the humiliation of discovering you can't always provide the way you once did. Let's get real here. There are many levels of poverty of spirit that we have all faced at some time in our journey, but maybe we just didn't recognize them as being poverty in spirit! You see, poverty is spinning out of control in a car, having to let go of the wheel, calling to Jesus and swerving hard at the last minute because in that very moment in time, you no longer have any control over your situation. In Luke Chapters 15-24, (please take some time to read those chapters as it will fill your spirit with joy and understanding!) it shares the parable of a rich man who hosts a large feast. But when the feast is ready, all the people he invited were unable to attend because of they had other commitments. So being enraged at the situation and insisting that his feast still be held anyways, the rich man sent out his servant to the alleys and side roads of the town to pick up the lame and the beggars to bring them in to feast with him. There was a great lesson learned from re-reading this parable as it actually pertained to my situation. You see, the first people invited didn't want to go to the feast because they were happy and content with what they already had; they were rich enough that they could actually feast on their own and didn't need to feast with the rich man and by pass their other commitments. However, the poor who were invited last weren't sent out invitations; someone physically came out to them and brought them in personally. No proper invitation needed.

It was with that profound moment of understanding, that I realized that a spirit of poverty is less of our lack of material possessions than it is our sincere openness to receiving God’s mercy and goodness. Poverty is the moment when you turn to your God, because other than your God, there is no one who will listen, no one who can help you. When I spun out of control, I clearly overstepped that ever so invisible line of self-sufficiency and suddenly realized I couldn't do it, or anything, without God! I humbly realized that I didn't have the resources to feast on my own. I never did. It's with God's invitation to be with Him that all of my needs are met and all of my resources are found in Him and His Word!

Next time trouble comes a knocking at your door, send Jesus to answer it!



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