Texas has seen quite a bit of rainy weather over the past few days, so when my car had trouble gaining traction a few times yesterday I dismissed it as related to the recent rain and wet ro
ads. This morning as I drove around Dallas completing errands I learned differently. The man in front of me started to turn into a parking lot, so I applied my breaks. I discovered very quickly that I was not getting enough traction and that the three car lengths I started with had come down to one. At this point, I attempted a hard stop only to discover to my horror that my breaks still could not achieve enough traction and that I had only three options:
- veer to the right and hit a pole,
- continue straight and hit the car in front of me, or
- veer to the left and hit the car(s) to my side.
So I did the only thing I knew to do: I cried out to God. Right when I thought I had no good options left, traffic opened up on my left and, by God’s grace, I veered through the window He created and up onto the median.
As the saying goes, “Accidents happen…” (unknown, n.d.)… or do they? Whenever we cannot explain something bad happening or when we make an error, we tell each, “accidents happen” (unknown, n.d.). How can we say, “accidents happen,” and still believe in a sovereign God? By its very definition, “sovereign” implies complete control of events (“Sovereign,” Merriam-Webster, 2013). Jeremiah wrote,
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. The you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, ESV).
The Proverbs state that
“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble… the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (16:1-4, 9; ESV).
Furthermore, the word “accident” is defined as “an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance” (“Accident,” Merriam-Webster, 2013). I believe, therefore, that the
very fact that we have a sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God means that accidents do not happen.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiates 3:1-8, ESV).
References
“Sovereign.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereign).
“Accident.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accident).
My Grace is Sufficient 