| devotional by: Jason Gray |
Added: 05-02-2008 |
Angels Among Us
I remember as a kid hearing stories about guardian angels that excited my imagination and kept me on vigilant lookout for angels I might “entertain unawares” (Heb. 13:2). As I got older, I guess I was tempted to dismiss these notions as perhaps a bit fanciful, but my wife Taya and I had a recent experience that made us believe again in the possibility of angelic encounters.
After tearful goodbyes to our boys as we dropped them off at my parents, Taya and I were setting out on a six-week spring tour with Shawn McDonald and Downhere. Not long after we started down the road, we hit a deer going 65 miles per hour. It came out of nowhere, and with no way to avoid it, I swerved hard and nearly ran off the road. The impact smashed up our van, but we weren’t hurt.
We were still a bit dazed when somebody pulled over to make sure we were OK. If there are such things as guardian angels who take physical form to minister to our needs, then I think I may know what ours look like. Two women—both a little rough around the edges—emerged from the car. The first was as stout of body as she was of heart, looking like she might have fit in with the kind of capable people who pioneered this land. After making sure we were OK, this strong woman of the prairies asked her driving companion—a skinny girl in a puffy pink coat with eyes as pretty as they were fearless—to get the tire iron out of the trunk so they could finish off the deer and make sure it didn’t suffer.
As my presence of mind slowly began to return, I remember thinking I should probably go out and do the unsavory deed myself, but I was stunned and frozen in my seat, more than a little horrified at the thought of what she was planning to do. Thankfully, the animal was dead before she could get to it, and I was not only grateful that the deed wouldn’t have to be done, but even more so that I would be spared having to see this fearsome woman do it.
She then pulled out her cell phone and said she had the highway department on speed dial. As her friend pulled an orange reflective cone from their trunk to put on the highway to alert the oncoming motorists of the deer that still lay in the middle of the road, the first lady got the highway department on the phone, reported the incident, and then put me on the line for the police to take my information. She also made sure I got a report number and told me what I would need to do for my insurance company. We thanked her, and I didn’t know what else to do but lamely give her one of my CDs which I happened to have in my backpack. She thanked me, and they were on their way.
We limped our van back home, and as the shock began to wear off, it occurred to us how bizarre our encounter was with these women. They both struck us as a little quirky and surreal. Granted, it could have been because we were in shock, but still… What are the odds of an unlikely couple of ladies stopping to help us immediately after our accident who had the highway department on speed dial, a reflective traffic cone in the trunk, the will (and strength!) to dispatch a large animal, and who left us with parting instructions on insurance procedures before whisking away into the night. We never even had a chance to get their names. Their care for our needs, the suffering animal, and also the other motorists was executed with such swift precision! If there are such incidents of encountering angels, this certainly could qualify as a case study.
The worst part of the accident was how it triggered in Taya the awful memory of an accident that she witnessed a few years ago when the car in front of her hit a deer then ran off the road and smashed into a tree in the ditch. The car was on fire when Taya pulled a little girl from the backseat. By that time, others arrived and were trying to remove the grandmother and the other granddaughter (who had both died on impact) from the car, but they were unable to before the car’s engine exploded and the vehicle burst into flames. Taya held the little girl and comforted her as only Taya can do until the ambulance arrived.
As I thought about it, it occurred to me that Taya may always be remembered by that little girl as the angel who pulled her out of a burning car and who spoke peace and comfort during one of the scariest moments of her life.
And that’s something worth thinking about. Do angels watch over us? I’m persuaded to believe they do. But I also suspect that God’s care more often than not comes to us through other human beings willing to reach out in somebody’s time of need. Were those two quirky ladies our guardian angels? Or were they just kind people who were willing to make themselves available in our distress? Is my wife Taya an angel? Well of course I think she is, but I’m a little biased. Whether there are supernatural instances of human encounters with angelic beings is hard to say, but that God would supernaturally send us help in the form of another human being is indisputable.
Maybe each of us will have an opportunity to be an “angel” to someone in need. I pray heaven helps us to recognize those moments for what they are and gives us the courage to stop and play our part.
Jason Gray is a recording artist on Centricity Records. His debut album is called All the Lovely Losers. Visit jasongraymusic.com for more info.
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