My Presence Will Go With You
Exodus 33:14 says, “My presence will
go with you….”
When I read this passage for my early
morning devotional I had no idea of the day that was ahead of me. It
was a chilly January day with sunshine and blue sky. I knew I would
be spending the day at church. It was a Power Express day and that
means I have the pleasure of having the snack ready after school and
a meal ready at dinnertime. I also knew that I needed to set up the
Great Hall for a memorial reception that was scheduled for the next
day.
I arrived at the church about 9 in the
morning with the necessary groceries and supplies and started to
unload them at the kitchen door. Lois was there and kindly offered
her assistance. She was busy setting up for many different
activities. (Our church is a very busy place) but she stopped to help
me. I told her how lucky we are to have her on our church staff. Then
I said a quiet prayer thanking God for bringing her to us. We
compared notes about the table arrangements I would need in each room
and how we would convert Fellowship Hall for Zumba after dinner. I
headed to the kitchen and Lois was off to her projects.
Snacks and dinner were readied, eaten
and cleaned up. The Great Hall was set and the trays, pitchers, and
other serving pieces were located and made ready. I finally arrived
home a few minutes after 7 in the evening. I unloaded my things,
cleaned them up and put things away. It was just after 8 when I sat
down at my computer to check email and the phone rang.
It was the nurse calling to tell me
that my father-in-law was headed to the Emergency Room as per the
doctor’s request. By this time I was grubby and tired and now I had
a 100- mile drive to Ohio to meet the ambulance at the hospital. I
said “OK God! I am so tired. How am I going to pull this off?” I
thought about the morning’s passage and less than 10 minutes later
I had changed clothes and was in the car headed west on I-94. As I
drove down the ramp I remember asking God to help me through this
because I was tired and it was going to be a long night. A calm
seemed to join me and soon I was pulling into a parking space at the
hospital. It was just before 10 PM. Usually at this time I am looking
for my pjs and winding down but I was alert and headed into the
hospital. The staff directed me to his cubical as he headed off for
X-rays. A while later, more tests and just before midnight the doctor
came in with the news, a bad case of bronchitis that did not need
hospitalization. 45 long minutes later we headed to his home. I
thanked God for medicines that would keep my father-in-law out of the
hospital. At 93 he does best in his normal routine. The staff met us
at the door with a wheelchair for Dad. They took him, the paperwork
and medication and sent me on my way. It was late and I had to drive
back to Grosse Pointe. I had expected to take him to his room and get
him settled before heading home. When I started to say, “I’ll
park the car and come in,” the staff told me, “Everything will be
fine, drive safely.” It was like an angel got in the car with me
and said lets go home. I headed back to Michigan. I kept thinking it
is late and I need to stay awake. How am I going to do this? I
checked the car for any goodies I may have stashed and found a small
bag of those super crunchy potato chips. By this time I was on the
highway and there was a little bit of traffic. Just enough to keep me
focused. I thought about those chips and knew I could devour them in
less than a mile but for some reason the thought came to me that if I
ate “just one” at each 10 mile marker they would last until I got
home. I looked up and a mile marker was in sight. It ended with a 0
and I could easily remember that. At each 10 mile marker I reached
into the bag, pulled out 1 chip and nibbled on it listening to the
crispness of the crunch and savoring the saltiness. One chip lasted
almost 2 miles. Others not so long.
God’s presence was with me in that
car as I drove home. At 2:30 in the morning I pulled into my drive. I
had asked for God’s help and he came through. Not in the ways I
expected but in special little ways that were just what I needed at
each moment. I know I could never have made that trip as calmly as I
did without God’s presence. Some people would tell me it was
adrenaline and maybe there was some of that but I know God was right
there in that passenger seat with me and I am glad he was.
Let us pray… Thank you God for your
presence. Thank you for keeping us safe and sending us thoughts and
feelings to keep us on your path. Thank you for giving us the wisdom
to be quiet and listen. Sometimes our busy days and nights muddle our
brains and we forget to come to you. Please help us to remember that
you are there 24/7 and all we need to do is ask. Amen
Gretchen Brammer
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