As my husband and I walked out of a store recently and across the parking lot, we noticed two women standing at the trunk of their car. When they saw us, one of the women spoke to my husband and said, “Sir, would you mind to jump off our battery?”
Paul replied that he’d be glad to help them and that he’d pull our SUV around in a minute. The women pulled the jumper cables from the trunk and dropped them to the ground. And then while one lady spoke with my husband, the other one slammed the trunk shut.
When we heard a frantic scream, we realized with horror that the trunk had closed on the first woman’s hand. She was yelling, “Open the lid! Open the lid!” We all panicked for just a second and then Paul found a sliver of room where he could pull up on the trunk to ease the pressure on her hand. Meanwhile, her friend was in a state of true panic, pulling uselessly on the trunk that was shut and locked.
Trying to get her attention, I yelled, “Where are the keys? Where are the keys?” But she was so distraught that my words didn’t get through to her.
Read More: Hearing God’s Voice
She kept saying to her friend, “I know you’re going to lose that finger. I know you’re going to lose that finger!”
She was so distressed that she didn’t hear me say again, “Where are the keys?”
Her friend with the trapped hand screamed, “Hit the trunk release! Hurry!” It took two tries for the panicked friend to make it work, but we all sagged with relief when the trunk lid popped up. There was a deep cut in the woman’s hand and I know it had to be sore as all get out, but there didn’t seem to be any major damage.
It was a frightening experience. But you know what? We do the same thing when scary situations come along in our lives, and we feel trapped. Instead of going first to God, we panic. Sweet mercy, how we panic! And we become so distraught that we don’t hear a thing He tries to tell us.
Is that where you are today? Well, here are some comforting and calming promises from His Word:
…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. (Psalms 107:6)
So the next time troubles come, let’s not panic, but let’s listen to what He’s saying to us. I’m so grateful for a God who gets us out of jams. How about you?
