On May 16, 2019, the Heralds of Hope van was totaled. I had dropped off J. Mark at the airport. Returning through McConnellsburg, nearing the main intersection, it happened. A little beeping behind me…typical of intersections…a bit more beeping…maybe a pedestrian…eh, whatever, I’ll look. Here came an old white Ford camper, with no brakes! With traffic ahead of me, I started to pull to the side of the road. With oncoming traffic out of the way, the camper switched lanes.
Wham! The corner of the camper box caught my rear quarter, shattering two windows and puncturing the tire. And I walked away from it. He coasted the rest of the way through town without further incident. Praise God!
I walked out of there with a stiff neck that didn’t even get sore, so what was the danger? Yes, a ton of camping fun barreling down main street is dangerous…but not if you’re somewhere else. Yes, it is very dangerous to be in the path of an oncoming RV…but not if Jesus has the wheel.
Where is the danger in getting hit by an RV? You may get hurt, hurt badly, even. Then we have to live with it. Or we might die. What is the danger in dying? Certainly, there are those we leave behind, and real grief. But the dangerous part is past. Our choices are past. Nothing changes once we’re dead. No purgatory. Just choices that are gone, and their reward.
Danger is like hope. Once we get our Christmas puppy, hope is past. Once an animal is killed by a car, danger is past. Danger comes before judgement. The danger comes through our choices beforehand. We have a just and merciful God. The danger does not lie in Him being a poor judge, but in us making poor choices, that determine His judgement. Once things are out of our control, the true danger is past. What matters is our choices. No sin, no danger, no fear. Christ’s righteousness, peace, and eternal hope.
What are some things that are out of our control in the future? Children leaving home–what are the dangers there? Getting married–what might endanger that? Getting asked to take on a new responsibility–am I prepared? You are…if you are walking with God. None of us make perfect choices always, but God can bring us through the very valley of the shadow of death. Choose with whom you would walk—walking alone is not an option. Faith in God is not limited to the confidence that He will save us eternally, it is faith that keeps us and guides us every step of the way.
Danger? Faith!
-Eric Druist