Two weeks ago our Precept Bible group began our Fall Bible study in the Book of Ezekiel. I knew the book was about visions—lots of them—but had never studied it. The first days homework directed us to read Chapter One. That last verse stopped me cold and sent my mind ripping back through the years…
…to a rainy Sunday afternoon, eight years ago, when my husband and I were returning from Kansas City with our four-year-old grandson, Noah.
Papa drove the car, while Noah and I rode in the backseat and played games and watched the rain splatter on the windshield.
Late in the afternoon we came into Denton, Texas, on I35 South. Traffic was heavy and driving difficult. It had not rained in weeks and the roads were slick.
I glanced toward the east where the sky had cleared and God had painted a spectacular rainbow against the darkness of the passing storm. Noah saw it too and squealed in delight. I began to tell him about his biblical namesake.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flashing red tail lights of the cars just ahead. Then Papa barked, “Sit back. Brace Noah. Relax.”
“What?”
Without thinking, I jerked my neck to look out the back window. An eighteen-wheeler barreled toward us. Another quick peek forward and I saw the cars in front of us stopped! The truck driver would never be able to stop in that short distance. Not on these roads.
“Oh, Lord, please,” I gasped and smashed my body against the back of the seat and threw my left arm over Noah, tight as I could.
In a breath, an arc of brilliant color appeared overhead and a luminous golden light shimmered all around us and reflected like a thousand tiny stars over the hood of our car. The power of stillness surrounded us within and without. There was utter silence. Peaceful silence. Entrancing silence.
Then it was gone.
How long had it lasted? Minutes? Seconds? I don’t know.
But the cars in front of us had stopped. The truck in back of us stopped a few feet from our back bumper. And we stopped. No squealing brakes, no sliding tires, no honking horns. Not a sound.
Transfixed. I sat, unable to speak. Papa let out a long sigh and put the car in motion as the cars in front of us moved too. Neither Noah, Papa, nor I said a word for a few minutes. Then I leaned forward and whispered, “Honey, what did you see back there? What happened?”
Papa wiped his forehead and ran his hand down the back of his neck. He turned and glanced at me. “You tell me what you saw, first.”
“No. Please. Tell me.”
He stammered, “I…it looked like…we were in the middle of a rainbow and the light…DiAne, was unreal. Golden. Sparkling. So quiet and peaceful.”
Our eyes locked in the rear-view mirror and I whispered, “Me too!”
Papa shrugged his shoulders. “Honey, I’ve driven over 2,000,000 miles and watched disastrous consequences occur in comparable situations. That back there…,” his head tilted backward, “…only God could have spared us.”
I turned to Noah. His precious head slumped against the shoulder of his car seat. Sound asleep.
We rode another few miles pondering all that had transpired. Each of us knew a power greater than anything we had ever experienced or known had intervened in our lives. And for once in my life, I was speechless. Full of awe, wonder and worship.
Eight years later there is still a catch in my throat, and tears in my eyes when my mind plays that scene over again.
And that light—
Though I’m an artist I’m at a loss to describe, paint or interpret it in any way except glorious.
What I know is that someway, somehow, the hand of God miraculously spared us that stormy afternoon in Denton, Texas. And He allowed us a glimpse into the world around us that we can’t see—yet.
Noah is now twelve years old and is the same young man I wrote about in my blog Mother’s Day—Again. The same baby God healed in the womb.
I suspect our Father in Heaven has a very special plan for him.
Noah, if you’re listening, that’s three times God has saved you. Once in the womb, once that Sunday afternoon on a highway outside of Dallas, Texas, and once two years ago when you trusted Jesus and gave your heart and life to Him. Never, never, never forget that, grandson.
And wherever you are today, dear reader, God loves you. And He has a very special plan for your life too. Believe Him. Love Him. Trust and obey Him. Because He alone is faithful.
Has God ever intervened and by the supernatural power of His mighty hand delivered you from illness, death or harm? If so, please share your story with us.
“As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking,” (NAS Ezekiel 1:28).
MOVING THE ANCIENT BOUNDARIES 
I am speechless and teary-eyed. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.
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Elaine, my husband, Dick, and I shed a few tears as I wrote this account this week for the first time since that Sunday afternoon. When I read that verse in Ezekiel this week it made me gasp. I always knew God intervened but didn’t know what we saw. Now I am more awed than ever. This blog will begin a series on Ezekiel.
What a message for our times.
DiAne
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What an amazing story. Thanks for the chill bumps. Well written as always.
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Julie, I am still awed by that Sunday afternoon.I wonder how many times we rush past those unexplained moments of awe? The difference was Dick and I saw the same thing. It was indeed a life-changer. To God be the glory, now and forever.
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Awe inspired story. Got chill bumps. Well written as always. I could picture it perfectly.
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Awesome story. God is Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing.
A few years ago my son, Thomas, and I were traveling at night on I10 from Port Neches to Houston, TX. He was driving and switched lanes to the right. I could see a car in the mirror in the next lane and anticipated our SUV coliding with the car. I braced myself and nothing happened. Thomas didn’t see the car until after he moved over and the car exited the Interstate. It’s amazing that an exit was there at the exact moment, but more amazing that Thomas saw an angel holding an antique lantern on the hood of our vehicle at that same moment.
Not near as amazing as your experience, but I know God spared us just the same.
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Debbie every one of these miracles need to be recited over and over again, so that as the world grows darker the light of the presence of God will shine brighter to remind us He is The Lord God Almighty, El Shaddai, Sovereign over all things. Thank you for sharing. “I can only imagine” what it will be like when we see Jesus, face to face, in all of His glory!
DiAne
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Hi DiAne,
I so enjoyed your blog. That verse will never be the same to me. I love it when that happens! Thanks so much. All God’s best to you today.
Polly
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Thanks for following my blog, Polly. The presence of God is manifested around us each day. We just need to slow down, pay attention and then share what He does in our lives. Folks read the Bible by what we do and say. We must tell them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but His truth.
DiAne
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“In a breath, an arc of brilliant color appeared overhead and a luminous golden light shimmered all around us and reflected like a thousand tiny stars over the hood of our car. The power of stillness surrounded us within and without. There was utter silence. Peaceful silence. Entrancing silence.”
DiAne What an awesome way you described the peace of God abounding in a situation that could have been divestating. You illustrated so vividly His immediate peace and protection He provides in the situations of our lives. Thanks for sharing.
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Shirley, thank you for reading and commenting on this blog. As I wrote this week, and my husband and I revisited that moment it brought tears to our eyes. To think that the Sovereign Creator of the universe is so actively involved in our lives, everyday, is awesome beyond my ability to express. But there’s coming a day! When we will see His glory, face to face, and fall at His feet and worship.
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Great story DiAne! I love it.
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Lynn, thank you for your encouragement and for following my blog. I’ve loved the pictures of that little Angel Biscuit.
DiAne
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Our Bible study group is in the middle of a change, but I want to read that to them if it;s okay.
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John, of course, it okay. Print a copy and give to each one of them. God gives the blessing, deliverance, or whatever He chooses to do. Our responsibility is to give an accurate testimony of what He’s done so that others will be touched and desire to know our God.
Thanks for your encouraging words.
DiAne
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Hi DiAne…what a tremendous testimony. Thank you for sharing so beautifully. God spares us from more than we know, I am sure. And then, there are times when he gives us glimpses into his protective grace.
Years ago, my daughter and I were getting ready to leave for the beach. I stopped by the store before picking her up from school. As I was coming out of the store and stepping down off of the curb into the empty parking lot, I heard an audible voice say, “Check your tires.” I thought this was rather odd, not only because the source was not visible, but because my husband had just had new tires put on my car that week. I really didn’t see the need, but this was not a directive I could ignore. I proceeded to check all four tires and when I came to the fourth, I saw a huge bubble. I drove a short distance to the tire store; they replaced it and sent me on my way. As we drove to the beach and into the darkness of the night, I was in awe of God’s great love for me, and of how he has no problem communicating with his children. The problem lies in our hearing.
I so love how he loves me!
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Starr, thank you for your encouraging words. And thank you for sharing how God spared you that day on the way to the beach. Like you I wonder how many times I’ve missed His voice, plunging ahead, on my own, and end up in a mess. Even then His mercy and grace surround me. Amazing. Simply amazing.
DiAne
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WOW! OH WOW! Thank you for sharing this powerful story. God is so good and protected you with His Glory. How amazing that is.
Becky
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Becky, sorry I was so long responding. We’ve been on vacation. Just returned this evening and I’m sorting through emails, blogs, and such. Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you will subscribe. I generally post during the late, late hours of Thursday. Please feel free to join our discussions.
DiAne
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Just joining you for the first time, DiAne, and this is so lovely. God is so lovely.
I was thinking, “Wow, it would be so amazing for something like that to happen to us . . . ”
Then I realized what you said to Debbie Gail Smith about how we need to recite these over and over. You see, from not reciting them over and over, I had literally forgotten the time God has spared us. Amazing and shameful.
It was not physically, but it was financial ruin that He has spared us from, whispering to us how to manage a moment of great loss (downsizing) and enabling us to stay solvent. It was minor things whispered to us, like “make that call NOW” that made a major difference in our lives. We are not wealthy. But we did not lose everything like so many have.
And there was also a physical deliverance involving not special lights, but just the fact that everyone on the interstate was paying attention and two drivers hit the right-of-way to give us a space to stay alive. Really, that seven drivers would simultaneously choose the same plan for my escape and, especially, that I would realize my children and I could yet live if I stayed alert and took the opening and drove like a maniac, was a miracle in my eyes.
We SO need to recall these things!
Thanks so much.
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DiAne,
I know you’ve had this post here awhile and I had read your wonderful story a couple weeks ago. But, as I read the comments this time, I realized that I, too, had a story to tell.
I was asleep one night when my 2 younger daughters were 5 and 7 years. One of them slept next to a window. I heard a voice say to me “get up now and check the girls!” At first I thought I was still dreaming, but I heard it again when I knew I was awake. When I reached the doorway of their room, I stopped short. A gigantic hole in both the storm window and inside window was allowing cold air to permeate the room. But what really made me shiver was seeing my 7-year-old covered in glass shards. Glass was also all over the floor. To my amazement, Candie had not moved or awakened. Calling my husband to wake up, I hastened to put on slippers. Returning to her room, I said, “Candie, wake up, Honey, but be very still.” My husband and I were able to remove her from the bed without causing injury to Candie or ourselves. We called the police and the officer that responded told us it looked like someone had come up very close to the window and thrown a large glass bottle at it. The officer checked the neighborhood and never found the person who had thrown the bottle, but I couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if I had gone on sleeping that night. As for the source of the voice, I have no doubt it was the Lord who awoke me that night.
Thanks for sharing your glorious story and for helping many of us to remember our own special times of God’s intervention. Every now and then, I like to read that description of God’s glory in Ezekiel and try to imagine how I will feel when I see Him some day. Thinking about that helps me to remember God’s greatness and gives me hope.
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Wow Kathie. Isn’t it amazing to know that God is always there and that He intervenes in our lives. What a marvelous God we serve.
DiAne
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