“For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth,” Isaiah 54:5.

 Life is made up of “new beginnings,” some are wonderful opportunities such as marriage, a new baby, a different job or an important move to a new location. But some beginnings bring sorrow and pain and are not welcome changes at all. Jean was a recent widow after many years of marriage. Her dearly loved husband went home to be with the Lord after a long illness. He left her with the above verse from Isaiah 54:5, “For your Maker is your husband…..” Jean thought she was prepared for his death, but found her grief was more intense than she had imagined. It would have been overwhelming, but for the ever present love and presence of her Lord and Savior. She found He was leading her in areas she had never been before, places where she could go by herself. New adventures awaited her, life was not over yet. God had other plans for her!

One weekend, she and her friend Barb, drove to Canada to visit her sister who was very ill. On the way home as they approached the Customs in the USA, they were dismayed to see the long line of cars waiting to be processed. As they waited, a man in the car next to them, rolled down his window and pointed to their front tire. “Lady, you have a flat tire!” “That can’t be possible,” Jean said, “this car is new, only has 10,000 miles on it!” But, sure enough, the tire was flat! She wasn’t going anywhere! Now, what to do? She and Barb began to pray! “Lord, you have promised to be my husband, and you know I can’t change a tire, what shall we do?” Instantly, the thought came to them, “Have the customs official put air in the tire!”

As they approached customs, the official had them pull over to the side and ordered a homeland security guard carrying an automatic weapon to put air in their tire! He not only filled up their tire, he got on his I-phone and told them where they could find the nearest tire store and have it repaired! This all happened while cars around them were being taken apart and searched for contraband. Peace in the midst of the storm! They proceeded on their way, made it to the tire store 30 minutes before it closed for the weekend. The tire was quickly mended and the bill was presented. There was NO CHARGE!! As they drove off, Barb said, “What do you think God was telling us through that experience?” For Jean, she knew God was showing her, “Your Maker is your husband, the Lord Almighty is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth,” Isaiah 54:5. Praise the Lord! He never gives us more than we can handle! He is our ever-present Savior who watches over and protects us from harm. Jean is learning new ways to trust the Lord, ways she didn’t need to when her husband was alive, like changing a tire! “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid,” Psalm 27:1

Your friend, Jean