Rerun of Daily Devotional December 16, 2019
Jane is a person of grace and humility. Last week, she sent me the following email. I pray it means as much to you as it does to me.
“Tom,
I said I wouldn’t do this again, but this experience was so powerful to me that I have to share it. If you are desperate for a devotional, here it is.
Jane
God with Us
I’ve always thought that Jesus was called Immanuel, which means “God with us,” because in him God took on human form and lived among human beings for a while. However, I now have learned a far deeper meaning to that name.
Very early in the morning on December 2nd I was returning from family gatherings in the DFW area and had elected to take the loop around Dallas in order to avoid difficult areas of construction. As I turned east onto LBJ Freeway, I entered a packed sea of cars traveling at maximum speed. I worked my way into a center lane since I would be going quite a distance– and then the sun peaked over the horizon. It was a clear day, and the bright sun beamed directly into my eyes underneath my sun visor. I was blinded—totally. All I could see was a dark red haze. My left hand was inadequate to block out the glare. I was trapped in the dark haze, unable even to see the car in front of me or white lines that should have marked the lane in which I was traveling.
The words “Immanuel: God with us” kept running through my mind. I prayed as I have never prayed before, “Lord, please guide this car; I can’t see anything!” I have never felt so helpless. I knew that if I veered the least bit out of my lane, I would cause a massive pile-up of cars and probably fatalities. Finally–it seemed like an eternity but it was probably only a very few minutes—the haze began to clear as the sun rose and the road turned gradually to the south. I could see and breathe again!
Traffic thinned as cars peeled off to their town destinations. When the signs to I35 South appeared, I easily moved into the right lane to exit and enter the comparatively moderate traffic on my familiar route home. It was only then that I was able to process what had just happened. I had experienced a miracle: God had truly been with me and had guided my car when I could see nothing. “God with us” now means far more to me than the appearance of Jesus two thousand years ago among human beings in Galilee: it means that God can be literally with me—this little old octogenarian lady–alone on a packed freeway and blind!!
I heaved a huge sigh of relief, abandon, and gratitude. I drove home, confident in the life-changing truth of the name Immanuel.
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14″
Prayer: Gracious Heavenly God, thank you for the grace, love, and guidance that you always give me. Help me to trust where I cannot see. Help me to depend on you when the road is easy and hard. Help me to be the person you created me to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Jane’s lesson is simple. Trust God. He will bring you home.
I pray your day is filled with joy and laughter.
Tom Robbins
Daily Devotionals by Dr. Tom Robbins 