A Change Of Plan

Psalm 31:14-15a – But I trusted, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands. (AMP)

Job 23:10 – But He knows the way that I take [He has concern for it, appreciates, and pays attention to it]. (AMP)

Recently I turned on the television. Selecting a channel at random, I found a documentary recording the Alaska earthquake. My mind sped into action. I remembered it as though it were yesterday: my husband and I were northbound up the inland passage of the British Columbia coastline on our way to Alaska. We were in the Alert Bay area, and Ron had planned to tie up overnight at a float in a small community on Vancouver Island. For some unknown reason, at the last moment he changed his mind and decided to tie up our sixty-five-foot boat alongside a barge closer to Alert Bay.

It had been a long day of steadying myself against the constant motion of the boat during our sailing, together with a late evening of selling from our samples to offset the expense of taking the gospel of love up the coast. I retired and slept. Ron, however, ever alert to any changes regarding the boat, had become aware of the constant movement against the barge and had placed twice the usual number of bumpers as buffers between the two boats. Next morning, he casually mentioned that he had never seen the water running so quickly. We were to learn later that Alaska had experienced an earthquake, nine points plus on the Richter scale. We also learned that the float where we had originally planned to tie up had been torn from its moorings.

We might have survived such an ordeal — but it is very doubtful. How did our heavenly Father step in to change our original plan? Perhaps He softly whispered into Ron's mind, suggesting the secure tie-up by the barge. He would have been aware of all the ensuing events. We were not even aware of the danger, but our God was watching out for us. Perhaps on that Great Day when all shall be revealed, we shall learn this was not the only occasion when we were in mortal danger, and our great God whispered again a change of plan. Perhaps in reading this, we may be led to remember instances in which our God changed our plans and brought us safely to haven and home.

Prayer: Our gracious heavenly Father, how wonderful it is to be confident in the knowledge that You do all things well. We can trust You; we can rely upon You. You know the dangers which surround us today, and You are there to protect us. We bring our praise to You this day, in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen.

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