Faithfulness

It's been a full week since our accident and while I don't want to bore you to death by going on and on about it, there are still some things that I need to get out of my system by writing about that incident.

Earlier in the week DH took the report of the accident into the police station. When the officer looked at the diagram and description of the accident he said, "This could have been really bad." We know! Others too have expressed surprise that we were unhurt, many rejoicing with us that God's Hand protected us.

This past week DH and I have had to drive past the site a number of times. Every time we ask each other, "Where was the truck when it started turning? Where were we?" Each time we are convinced that our minds have not played tricks on us, that we haven't exaggerated the lack of distance between our car and the truck, that it was as dangerous and frightening as we remember. Each time we are amazed that we are still alive today and that we suffered no major injuries.

Today in church, as I looked across to where Son#2 was sitting with his wife and daughter, it suddenly hit me that things could have been so much different for our family. We have known they could have been different for those of us in who were in the car and all week I have been grateful for the things that we are still able to do: cuddle our granddaughters, talk to our sons, go to work, do all the mundane things that make up life. But today I realised that it could have been a totally different story. That it may easily have been our three eldest sons being the sum total remaining of our family. Half a family gone in a hearbeat.

Once again I felt so humbled and grateful that God spared our lives. Last week in church the message I received was about God's Eternal Love; today it was about His Faithfulness. Two characteristics of God that have been brought home to me in a very real way this past week.

As I shared some of my thoughts with DH he agreed that it isn't the horror of the accident that has stuck with us but the might-have-beens. The words of an old hymn touched me this morning:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.
For he loves us with unfailing love;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever
(Psalm 117, NLT).

[Source of lyrics for hymn: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/19#ixzz1tP32FyV7]