Saved in a blizzard

I grew up in Michigan, so I’m used to frigid weather. But the winter of 2014 was especially harsh. One evening, during the tail end of a blizzard on a Saturday evening, my wife was called in to work. At the time, she was pregnant with our first child.

We live in the country, and I offered to take a quick drive down a few of the back roads to make sure they were safe for her to travel. I grabbed my cellphone and – wearing only a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops – jumped into my SUV and headed out. It was nearing dusk, and high winds were still prevalent.

About three miles from home, I was traveling into a slight valley when I noticed the winds were blowing violently, whipping up snow and creating a virtual whiteout in front of me. Before I realized what was happening, I was rolling downhill, plowing through ever-increasing drifts. I found myself stuck in impassable drifts up to the hood of my SUV. I also noticed that I was nearly out of gas. I was in a cell service dead zone, and my phone battery was blinking.

I suddenly felt as though I were suffocating and began to panic. I frantically tried to think of a way out. I considered cutting the fabric from the seats to provide some type of insulation from the cold should the car run out of gas. I also searched the back of the SUV for warm clothing or blankets, but found nothing.

I figuratively threw my hands in the air and asked God, “Now what do I do?” The thought came to be still. I recognized this from the Bible, Psalms 46:10, where it says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

So I closed my eyes, and for the next few minutes I sat there praying and listening for guidance. Through all the outward chaos, a quiet peace surrounded me as angel messages from God began flooding my thoughts. The Bible’s book of Jeremiah states, “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord” (23:23, 24). Psalm 139 provided similar comfort: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (verses 7-10).

I sat quietly for a few more minutes praying with these passages.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed headlights in the rearview mirror. The vehicle was a large road grader. The driver came to my window. He said that there was no reasonable explanation for it, but he had felt compelled to make a pass in my direction before ending his shift. I told him I had been praying. He said it must have been divine intervention, because his job was to keep the main roads clear, not the side roads. His was the last county vehicle that would travel down this road for the next few days.

As he was plowing me out, I recalled Mary Baker Eddy’s statement: “Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” pp. 149-150). God’s love had been protecting me all along.

In no time, I was on my way back home. When I arrived, I told my wife what had happened. Needless to say, she didn’t make the journey into work that evening, and we both stayed safely at home.

The Bible states, “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). After being rescued from what seemed to be an impossible situation, I realized that God had been there all the time, caring for and guiding me. I’m grateful for gaining a clearer understanding of our oneness with God, knowing that His angels surround, protect, and guide us always.

Even when we make foolish decisions, if we’re willing to be calm and listen, God’s gentle love will direct our path to safety.

Adapted from an article published on sentinel.christianscience.com, Feb. 17, 2022.