But God..........

I've been thinking a lot about our almost-off-the-road-off-the-side-of-the-mountain experience a couple of days ago.  If you missed that adventure, you can go back and read Tuesday's post.

Yesterday morning Al went down to the mailbox.  Much of Tuesday's snow had melted away when the sun came out late in the afternoon, and Wednesday's snow hadn't started yet, so the road was clear.  When he got back, he mentioned again, as we both had several times, that we don't know how we managed not to go over the edge.  We can't explain how he was able to turn the car around.  The part of the road where we were is the narrowest part of that stretch of road.  Realistically, there's no way a car the size of ours should be able to turn around on that particular part of the road.

But God intervened.

This episode has triggered several memories of similar episodes.  About ten years ago we had traveled with a group from our church in Florida on a mission trip up to Montana.  Our week there was finished, and we were heading back to Billings to catch our flight home.  It was pretty early in the morning as we were driving down the interstate.  There were five people in our car.  I was sitting in the middle of the back seat, not wearing a seat belt because it was stuck down in the seat.  As we crossed a bridge just a short distance from the airport, we hit a patch of black ice and began to spin.  We very nearly went over the edge of that bridge into the river below.

But God intervened.

Some years ago, back when we lived in Connecticut, we were driving down Route 2 from the airport in Hartford back to Ledyard where we lived.  It was late at night.  We were out in the country, and it was very dark. The road was covered in snow.  We hit a patch of ice and began to spin.  When the spin stopped, we were pointed back in the direction from which we had come.  And we could see the headlights of another car coming right toward us.  It's really difficult to get a car turned on a patch of ice and get it pointed in the direction you want it to go.

But God intervened.

In these, and many other, instances, God intervened. 

But God.  I love that phrase.

Just a few days ago, we should have been over the side of the mountain. 

But God......

Once I was dead in trespasses and sins, according to Ephesians 2:1.

But God......

And that's the best "but God" of them all!

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved......." (Ephesians 2:4-5 ESV)

But God......

What a beautiful phrase!