“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. ” (Isaiah 65:24 KJV)

In 1977, my family cleared a forested mountainside, preparing to build a home. To install a water pipe from the pump to the house, our boys — aged 13 and 10 — and I dug a huge ditch, 18 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 450 feet long, through clay and rock, much of it uphill. Meanwhile, our kind neighbours let us haul water from their high-producing well, deep in the canyon a distance away. I took my turn driving a 1965 Ford Bronco to tow a large water tank on a trailer.

The downhill trek on the steep gravel road to the neighbours went well. After filling the tank and heading out, I got midway back up the mountain. With canyon on either side of the road, the 4-wheel-drive popped out of gear. I slammed one foot on the clutch, the other on the brake, praying that the engine wouldn’t stall. I couldn’t move the gearshift back into position. The weight of the water tank pulled the vehicle into a slow slide backward, inching the Bronco toward the edge of a steep slope. Everything moved in slow motion. I feared being pulled into the canyon. My mind screamed repeatedly, “God, help me!” But I was powerless to stop the slide. One of the back wheels of the tank trailer was suspended in space over the roadside edge of the embankment. I just kept repeating, “God, help me!”

Warmth covered my hand, like a hand on top of mine. A firm, steady pressure on top of my hand urged the gearshift smoothly back into position. I was stunned as I inched the vehicle forward, and the water tank realigned with the roadway. Shaken and thankful to the Lord, I drove the Bronco away from that frightening experience toward home.

What happened during that crisis, I can’t explain, but I do know that when I called out in need, God answered my cry for help. What a dramatic rescue that day!

Amid the corruption, accidents, and evil of this world, even in this pandemic, some people question how a loving God could allow all this to happen. I tell my story to reassure such people that, despite the evidence to the contrary, we Christians believe that God is a God of love. I don’t tell it to evoke feelings of jealousy or bitterness that God doesn’t intervene like that in your life, but rather to remind us all that miracles do still happen, because God has a plan for each one of us, and sometimes, He goes to great lengths to ensure that His plans occur as He wills.

When you are in need, call out to the Lord. Believe and see what He will do. We can always be amazed at what He will do to help us. Has God answered your calls for help?

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for Your awareness of our every need before we call for help. Your constant knowledge of each of Your children is Your majesty beyond words. You tend to our every need and answer in remarkable ways. Thank You! Amen.

Karen Milam
Penn Valley, California, USA

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission.