Thank God for What Never Happened - The Crosswalk Devotional - November 12
Thank God for What Never Happened
By Melinda Eye Cooper
Bible Reading:
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. - 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV
I like true crime shows. But only if the perpetrator is caught by the end of the program.
Honestly, I wrestled with this about myself for a while. Why? What exactly is it that I like about horrible things happening and criminals getting busted? And it boils down to one word. Justice.
I believe in justice.
These days, advances in forensic science make it possible to solve very old, cold cases.
An investigative genetic genealogist can figure out whose DNA belongs to through family trees. A perpetrator can be caught by DNA he left behind before most of us even knew what DNA was. I imagine some criminals are shaking in their boots knowing they could get busted any day for something they did thirty years ago.
Still, justice can take many years.
So, as I watch true crime shows and see how these poor folks ran into people with evil intent, I see how easily I could have been one of the victims because I’ve also found myself in many of the scenarios.
Back before cell phones and the internet, we crossed our fingers and said a prayer that we’d get wherever we were going. Once, when I was eighteen, driving home from closing a fast-food restaurant at one a.m., the alternator went out in my car. I coasted, with dimming lights, into a local cemetery entrance while my car slowly died.
Soon, a truck pulled up, and a strange man offered me assistance. Nervous, I declined and bolted across the street to a nearby house, banging on the door until an elderly lady finally answered. Thankfully, she allowed me to use her phone to call home, and soon my dad showed up, much to my relief.
That’s just one of many precarious situations I found myself in my youth.
The older and wiser I become, the more I know God has had me in His protection without a doubt. And I’m sure I’m not aware of many dangerous situations where He’s kept me safe without my knowledge.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The truth is, not only are we subject to human nature, our own and others', but also forces of evil that would like nothing more than to cause us harm. But we could easily become full of anxiety if we allow thoughts of “what could happen” to overwhelm us. God doesn’t want us living in fear or anxiety.
We’re reminded in the Psalms:
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. - Psalm 4:8 NIV
God is with us. He’s protecting us, and He alone is making us dwell in safety.
Sadly, people can do some awful things to other people. And we should never trust another person the way we trust God. Evil is real. The demonic spiritual realm is real.
But so is God. And He’s sovereign, faithful, and trustworthy.
Looking back through the lens of our youth, we’ll see God’s protective hands covering us more times than we can count or even imagine. The things He protected us from have allowed us to move forward and live the life He has for us.
A good life.
We may not make the connection of His protection until many years later. But He has us tight in His grip. If God allows us to experience something good or bad, there’s purpose. And He uses those things for our good, one way or another. He strengthens us as we walk with Him. He loves us more than we can comprehend and has our best interest at heart.
Throughout our lives, we might get a tiny glimpse of just how much God must love us to give His only Son to pay the price for our sin. Though we can never truly grasp the depth of His great love. We know He has good plans for our lives, and His protection is part of those plans.
Knowing it could have easily been us but wasn’t makes us grateful for His protection and guidance.
And truly thankful for things that never happened.
Father, thank You for protecting me even when I didn’t realize the danger in my midst. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/FG Trade
Melinda has been honored to be a Selah Awards finalist for online articles and was a finalist for the 2023 Writer of the Year Award with Serious Writer, as well as a 2024 Semi-finalist for the ACFW Genesis Contest.
Visit her website here to receive blog posts via email. You can follow her on Facebook here or Instagram here.
Her book of articles and devotions is available here, and a short devotional about the Places God Takes Us here.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
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