[Faith-talk] God Watches Over Us

[Paul Smith]

Hello once again to most of you today.  Hope all is going well with 
you, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

The following is from a compilation of short pieces entitled "Food For 
Thought." Don't know who wrote this particular one, but it's worth 
reading, pondering and meditating.

As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son 
started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the New Jersey Turnpike because 
of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One went back to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that 
morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, 
he developed a blister on his foot.  He stopped at a drugstore to buy a 
Band-Aid.  That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a 
ringing telephone, all the little things that annoy me, I think to 
myself, "This is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment."

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow 
getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every 
traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated.  It may be just that God is 
at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and 
may you remember their possible purpose.

And there you have today's contribution which I hope was a blessing for you.

Let me tell you a personal story, something I've told numerous times in 
Internet audio chat rooms, but perhaps many of you haven't heard it before.

It was August 1981.  My Friend Ed and I were about to return to the 
United States from Warsaw, Poland, after spending a delightful week 
attending the 49th International Congress of Blind Esperantists in 
Zagreb, Croatia.  At the airport the flight we were supposed to take 
was overbooked, so we had to wait for the next available flight which 
was 45 minutes later.  Naturally there was a lot of grumbling and 
complaining by many of the passengers.  Well, when we finally took off 
on another Lot Polish airliner we had to stop in Gander, Nfld. Canada 
because of hydraulic problems.  Lot put us up in a hotel near the 
airport.  While my friend Ed was busy with one thing and another, I 
took the occasion to listen to the CBC news.  It was reported that Lot 
Flight Number 618 had vanished from radar screens near Cape Race, Nfld 
with all hands.

You can imagine that there was no more grumbling after that 
announcement.  And to think that I'd not have the chance of meeting 
many of you good people.  So a missed flight meant many more years of living.

And that will do it for now.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing more 
quotes and news tidbits will be posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac 
and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these 
last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul