Driven Home

I have a confession to make: I’m a closet worrier and the thing that causes me to worry most is car accidents. Yes, I know. We’re not to worry. I know that if… when something happens God will still be with us and will walk with us through whatever it is. I know this. I find peace in this–usually.

Several years back I was working at county fairs and I did a lot of traveling without my husband, which meant I was doing the driving. Me, one or two of our sons, and a 15 passenger van. Worry and fear were constant companions on those trips and I fought them every way I knew.

Once, six hours from home, a back tire shredded at 70 mph. At that point we were in the third of four lanes, where three interstates converged and ran together.

God got us safely onto the shoulder of a ramp and, thanks to the farm boy working for AAA, I was back on the road within two hours. That’s when a wave of fear took over and came close to pushing me into complete panic. The spare, although a full-sized tire, sounded and handled totally different than the original had. Not only that, but my husband had told me to baby the van home. Even after identifying all the new noises, and making sure the tire was holding air, and asking a hundred questions, and being assured by my very patient husband that everything we described to him was okay, I worried.

With each mile that we slowly trekked, my anxiety grew.

I had just completed a study on worry and as I drove I ran through what I had learned. It helped, but not enough. Then, God highlighted Philippians 4:6-7 in my mind.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7 NAS

In all that had happened, I’d barely touched one of Paul’s points: thanksgiving.

What does thanksgiving and thankfulness have to do with worry? A LOT!

Right then I made a choice to find everything I could to be thankful about concerning the last few hours, days, weeks and even months. The more I things I found to be thankful for, the more worry was pushed off the throne of my heart and mind, making more room for God. All those things I was thankful for were God’s doing. He had taken care of each detail, right down to where I was when the tire shredded and even the farm boy who came to help. The ruined tire was not budging even though he tried every farm trick he knew. He was giving it one last try before calling for help when the lug nuts began to turn and he pulled the tire off. Was I behind the van praying? You bet your barn boots I was! And God answered.

God got us home safely that day. The spare tire was good and all was well. Mostly.

In the years following that long ride home there have been and still are times that worry grabs hold and threatens to choke me out. Normally I’m one who loves quiet car rides, but some days my car rivals a teenager’s dragging Main Street in our small town, although I do tend to turn the volume down when I get into town. Praise music, loud praise music can drown out the worry just as surely as it camouflages all the noises I imagine the car is making.

That song we sing in church, “We Praise You”, is a truth that’s been driven home on many occasions–physically making the drive home with me as it plays loudly and in my heart as I’m reminded of the power of praising God. It’s a truth we can stand on. Or drive home on.

Let praise be a weapon that silences the enemy
Let praise be a weapon that conquers all anxiety
Let it rise, let praise arise
We sing Your name in the dark and it changes everything
We sing with all we are and we claim Your victory
Let it rise, let praise arise.

(“We Praise You” Bethel Music)

Written by Patty Wysong.
Patty Wysong spent much of the last ten years in a desert season. God called her aside, and after fighting it too long, she acquiesced and never regretted it. In that desert she found the deeper joy and fulfillment she'd been longing for. The wilderness became a place of beauty and refreshment to her. But now, God has drawn her out and she's relishing into this new season, even as she holds dear the lessons of the wilderness. She used to blog at Patterings, and one day soon she may again. 
You can find more of Patty's posts on the PriorityNow Blog here.