By Tom Cash

I woke up around 4 a.m. as my Uncle Bob passed two trucks. He began drifting toward the left into the median. Assuming he fell asleep, I called his name. He did not respond. Bob couldn’t respond; he died at the wheel. The car went off I-80, became airborne, flipped, and landed upright in a concrete culvert. He was thrown 30 yards from the vehicle; I was cocooned inside as everything went black. 

Sheltered in the Time of Storm 

It was a harrowing experience. The truckers we passed immediately stopped. Afraid of an impending explosion, they extricated me from the still-running Ford LTD before any rescue crews appeared. 

My other uncles arrived at the hospital with my dad that afternoon. Because I did not know he had died, I asked, “How’s Bob?” Sitting at my bedside, Dad took my hand, and with tears welling in his eyes, he replied, “Bob died.” Those two words cut through me like no others.

An event like that makes a huge impression on anyone, particularly a 15-year-old. We careened off the interstate with no seat belts and no air bags. I was enveloped within the car by its distorted metal and collapsed roof. Two unknown rescuers provided immediate aid. My life was spared. 

Covered in the Depths of His Love

During the days and weeks that followed, I became convinced that this was nothing short of an act of God. Though already a Christian, I vowed to follow his lead. More than 40 years later, I have never regretted that decision.

 Two thousand years ago, a priest could not believe God’s promise. Zechariah was silenced for nine months while a baby developed within his wife’s womb. His speech was restored only when he affirmed his son would be given the name spoken by the angel Gabriel: John. 

Every word out of Zechariah’s mouth affirmed God’s standing offer to those who follow him: his goodness, his protection, and his love. Is the path you travel uncertain? Follow the one who shelters you in times of storm and covers you in the depths of his love. 

Tom Cash is the senior minister at First Church of Christ in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He and his wife, Coleeta, have two children and four grandchildren.