Praising Him Publicly!

It was a foggy morning, and the roads were wet from overnight rain.  

While traveling on Church Road about 7:05 AM on September 11, 2018 on my way to the Christian School of York, when something I never experienced since I have been driving happened.

There was a car spinning out of control in my lane and I had about a 2 second window to try and avoid a head-on-collision.

There was a field on my right, and I whipped my car into the field hoping to avoid the car.

The car spun right into the field and nailed me directly on my driver’s side door.

My head hit the side door window, I was bleeding, and I couldn’t quite catch my breath.

I knew something was wrong and believed the LORD gave me a sense of peace.

I climbed over the console, and as I opened the passenger side door; there was a man who told me not to stand up.

I told him I needed to because I could barely breathe. I could not put weight on my left leg, so he held me up.

He turned out to be a first-responder, who was not on duty, but was the first one there and called the ambulance before I even attempted to get out of the car.

I believe the LORD sent him.

When I got to the hospital, the tests showed that I had a broken leg and 4 broken ribs, one of which had punctured my lung.

I was in the hospital for eight days, as they had to put a tube in my side to re-inflate my lung.

This was the most traumatic thing I have physically experienced in my 66 years, as it was the first time I have ever been in the hospital as a patient.

I have been a believer in Jesus Christ for 60 years and have walked intimately with my wonderful Savior.

He has taught me not to trust my emotions but His Word and His presence in me through His Spirit.

Because of the pain and uncertainty of having a collapsed lung, I knew He was right there with me through this ordeal even though my emotions were going in different directions at times.

My lung re-inflated, and I was sent home with a walker, because I could not put weight on my left leg for 12 weeks.

I was so thankful to be under the care of my wonderful wife and nurse, Linda, who helped me get through my weeks of recuperation.

Praise the LORD for her, His gift to me! Paul Harvey use to say, “now for the rest of the story.”

My car was totaled, and Linda and I started discussing how we would need to take out a loan to replace it.

Because the car was a 2003, we got very little insurance money for it.

Our other car, a 2004 with over 183,000 miles on it, was leaking antifreeze and no longer had working air conditioning, so we knew that one would need to be replaced soon as well.

Since we are on semi-fixed income, we knew we needed to trust the LORD for His provision.

Here is what our wonderful and gracious LORD did for us to show His love and that He did not forget us through this ordeal.

A family friend who has the gift of giving, felt really bad for what happened.

They asked how they could help us.

After praying, the LORD made it clear to them that He wanted them to buy Linda and me each a brand new car!

They said they wanted us to get the best safety rated cars, and they would pay for them fully.

Linda and I were blown out of the water!

The verse that came to mind immediately was Ephesians 3:20:

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”

Linda and I want to give our wonderful and gracious Savior all the glory for this!

These verses describe our hearts toward Him.

“I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things You have done. I will be filled with joy because of You. I will sing praises to Your name, O Most High. The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in you, for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. Lord, have mercy on me. Snatch me back from the jaws of death. Save me so I can praise You publicly at Jerusalem’s gates, so I can rejoice that You have rescued me” (Psalm 9 TLB).

We are praising the LORD publicly for sparing my life in this accident and for the marvelous things He has done!

May we all trust our loving and gracious Savior as we approach the New Year in 2019!

Blessings!

Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries