Winter Blessings

Just wanted to write a post sharing a few things God has done for me this winter. I wrote about my getting stuck in the snow, and how 5 guys from church got me out, in my last post. I also received significant help through the snow and cold on two other occasions since then. On Monday morning, I tried to start my car outside of work only to find that I couldn't. A girl I work with tried to give me a jump to no avail. After many tries, I went ahead and called Dave, my automotive troubleshooter and mechanic. Dave came out to my work, in the very frigid negative degree weather and worked on getting my car to start. When that didn't work, Dave and his dad, Carl, towed my car to their shop to let it warm up. Carl, and his wife Carrie, invited me to their house for breakfast while we waited for my car to warm. Try to get that kind of service from your average auto shop. By the time we came back from breakfast, my car was warm enough to start, and I got to go home to my nice warm bed. :) The other occasion took place on Thursday. After a few more inches of snow had fallen the night before, I tackled the task of shoveling out my walkways and driveway. Shortly after starting to clear my drive, a man clearing the nearby apartment parking lot saw me shoveling. I have never met the man, but he drove his skid loader over and in a matter of a minute or two he cleared the driveway that would have taken me about a 1/2 hr to clear. It is amazing the way God takes care of me. All this to say: Thanks and praise, to the sovereign God, who through various life circumstances, not only provides tests and trials that produce patience and equip us for every good work (James 1), but also provides the way of escape, and the grace to go through these tests and trials to the glory and honor of His name. He even works in the heart of sinful man to will and to do His pleasure, and to accomplish His purpose, which is ultimately to bring glory to His name, and sometimes more immediately to help someone out of the snow. The interweaving of God's plan is so detailed and perfect. The God who caused the snow and the cold is the same God who provided the help to overcome it. A help out of the snow may seem pretty minor compared to many of life's trials, and in many ways it is, but the principle and the picture are the same. God's "way of escape" is sometimes harder than others, but He always provides one, and no situation is out of God's control.