Thoughts for Life: His Hand Reaches Down

His hand reaches down

Cindy Sproles of www.christiandevotions.us, tell us about a scary experience she had when she was sixth grader:

"I moved my hand and Carla wrapped her fingers around mine. She groaned and went limp.

A scream resonated from the depths of my soul as panic filled me. From somewhere deep inside me…amazing strength.

The girls on top of me fell to one side as I moved. Our station wagon lay on its side. The car was silent.

It took a minute before I realized what happened.

Our Girl Scout troop was returning home from an art museum. I sat in the rear end of the station wagon surrounded by four other girls.

When the drunk driver hit us head on, I remember a sense of weightlessness as the car went airborne and careened down a steep embankment.

The sound of metal squealed and crunched as the car landed on the train tracks and slid to a halt.

Was I the only one alive? Carla fell to one side as I pushed my way from the middle of stacked bodies.

She was quiet. Not a peep. Tonya was in the floorboard of the backseat.

It was a moment of sheer terror as I stared at my friends folded like sheets of paper in a pile inside the car. Their bodies had protected me.

When I screamed, no one…not a soul…moved. No one answered. It was dark outside and I knew for an instant…I was alone.

I banged at the back window, trying to free myself from the twisted pile of rubble, but to no avail.

As a 6th grader, I wasn’t really sure what it meant to plead with God, but I do remember screaming, 'God, save us! Help us!'

Photo courtesy of microsoft.com free photo gallery

I’ve heard folks talk about spiritual experiences, but when a huge hand slammed against the back glass, I thought it was the hand of God.

He’d heard my screams and extended His hand to save us.

As I look over my life of 50+ years, I can’t count the times God has extended His hand to me.

From that car accident to a near death experience during childbirth. From a divorce to near financial disaster, through a prodigal to the death of loved ones.

Every time I feel I can’t take in another breath, God, without fail, extends His redeeming hand.

Over and over He has calmed me in disaster, whispering, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'

In the hardest of times, I never fail to find comfort in the promise my Father has made.

Like a child, I’m not sure how or why…only that I am safe in His arms. Held tight in His promise.

The hand that smacked the rear window belonged to my friend Peggy’s dad.

'Cindy, kick the window with your feet. Kick.'

He continued to bang the window with his fist until a crack formed. 'Kick the window. Kick.' And I did. I kicked harder than I ever thought I could.

When the glass split and fell to the ground, his giant hand rammed through the stack of bodies and grasped hold of me.

Within seconds I was tight in his arms. It was hard to turn loose of this tower of strength. The comforting part…he, like my Father in heaven, saw no need to let go of me, even when the EMS worker tried to pry me from his arms.

God’s hand stretches down to us daily.

And though we do not physically see Him, He is a God of promise…and He never breaks them.

Take hold of the hand that extends to you through everything. Grasp hold and know He’ll never turn you loose."

**The driver of our car, her friend and three of the girls were critically injured. Fortunately none were killed. The hand of God scooped us up and protected us. The recovery for these women and girls was over two years…and the drunk driver who hit us — walked away from the hospital that night with a scrape on her knuckle. The story is still true…Don’t drink and drive."

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13 NIV

His Hand Reaches Down – She Said by Cindy Sproles

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Senior Editor, Cindy Sproles of www.christiandevotions.us

Read Cindy’s devotions.

Photo courtesy of microsoft.com free image gallery

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God?

Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion.

This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors.

This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

Print version $9.95