Coffee With The Lord

I know several of you have experienced it… a life-threatening illness or an accident… and miraculously, you survived!

As many of you know, Sharon and I had such an accident six months ago.  Coming home from Montana, a car drifted into the lane of a truck in front of us in Colorado, lost control and swiped our vehicle on the driver’s side, taking out our rear axle, causing our SUV to roll 2-3 times.  All I had time to do was cry out “Jesus!”  Car was totaled.  My wife. Sharon, had 10 fractured ribs (several with multiple fractures), a fractured collarbone that had to be surgically repaired, and a punctured lung.  I escaped with just a deep bruise on my left hip.  ICU for Sharon, a lot of pain, surgery, physical therapy, long recovery… but we both are blessed to be alive!

I don’t know why… I guess it was just the shock of it all and my need to help Sharon right after the accident, but I didn’t immediately fall to my knees beside our mangled car in the ditch and offer thanksgiving to God for sparing our lives.  I should have… but I didn’t.  Believe me, since then both Sharon and I have done just that… alot!

And then this morning during “coffee with the Lord” I read Psalm 30 and wrote these words in the margin of my Bible:  “What to do after the Lord saves your life, and you walk away alive after a near death experience.”

Here it is from the Bible…

“I will extol You, O Lord for You have drawn me up… O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You have healed me!  O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol [death]; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit [the grave]!

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name! … To You, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy:  What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit?  Will the dust praise You?  Will it tell of Your faithfulness?  Hear, O Lord, and me merciful to me?  O Lord, be my helper!

“You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent!  O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!”  (From Psalm 30 ESV)

So today, I paused after reading this Psalm and reflected… and then I made it’s words my own… and did what I probably should have done after the accident in that ditch in Colorado… offered, deep, heartfelt thanksgiving to the God who spared our lives!