The day before Oji and I were to be married, we were in a car accident. No fault of our own. No one was injured, Praise God! However, the event was jarring none, to say the least.
Our rental car only had minimal damage, and its repairs were fully covered with no strings attached by our insurance company.
The lesson that rung the loudest for both of us was the importance of employing divine protection…
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
Psalms 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Six months earlier…
Shortly after, we confirmed our wedding date and venue; we also made the decision that we would rent a car and use that car as our primary means of transportation. By renting a car, we were able to keep a bundle of our travel and transportation costs down. We were also able to make our journey from downstate New York City to Niagara Falls, NY and Canada an intimate road trip for just the two of us.
Initially we thought we may have family accompany us up, but in the end, it was just God, Oji and Lela (Team G.O.A.L.) Prior to our trip we had not seen each other’s face for about six months! So we used the run up to reconnect, talk and also do some pit stops along the way visiting with family and friends before our wedding day.
Throughout our wedding planning process, we sought God’s knowledge and guidance and came in agreement with each other in prayer. Oji and I prayed about each aspect of our wedding coordination. We knew that our attitudes, the words we spoke and our actions would play crucial roles in how everything would turn out, and we did not want to restrict any benefit God was preparing for us in the end!
CRUNCH Time!
When the accident occurred we were only about a half hour away from Niagara Falls. We had watched for a few exits a trio of cars seemly racing each other in front of us. My now husband, the established highway driver provided additional space between us and the vehicles ahead just in case. That bit of wisdom saved us because the last of the three cars decided to make an illegal U-Turn before an exit. At seeing this Oji slowed down and applied the brakes. However, the car behind us tapped into our fender causing visible damage. CRUNCH!
As a Football coach, Oji has taken many a road trip to conduct scouting and attend games, so he knows how to handle himself behind the wheel.
After he checked, to make sure I was ok he went to assess the damage to our vehicle and the welfare of the other drivers. A third car had almost hit the one that hit us because of the quick break and ended up being an unbiased observer.
Though both Oji and my emotions were raised at the moment of the crash… I did immediately feel a sense of calmness and peace come over me. I remembered at that moment how we had employed divine protection and pled the blood of Jesus before each segment of our journey!
The devil knew that our marriage would be a threat to the kingdom of darkness and to him. That is why he attempted distraction us at some more than 24 hours before we would exchange our vows. It didn’t work though the experience; only strengthen our resolve in the knowledge of God’s infinite love for us and his protective power.
© 2012 Lela Jefferson Fagan – http://www.memoirsofablackgirl.com
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