I have blogged recently about the mild weather we have been having here in Kentucky. Last night it was quite windy and this morning I woke up to a warmish 58F morning but it was still very dark and windy outside. On my way in to work as I drove along my normal two lane country road route, I suddenly saw a very large tree that had blown down in the night — and it was blocking my lane. Luckily for me, it was not blocking the entire road, just my lane. And with no other vehicles coming from the other direction, I was able to slow down, safely cross over, navigate around the blockage, and continue on. However, with it still being early morning and pitch dark, I could not in good conscience leave that obstacle unmarked for another car to hit. God was nudging me and telling me that turning around and marking the hazard was the right thing to do.
So I found the next driveway and pulled in. I popped the trunk, got out of my car and looked to see what safety gear I had. Luckily, I had a couple of flares and gloves which I grabbed and put on the front seat. I turned around to go back, intent to mark the hazard for other drivers, at least until the sun came up.
As I came upon the familiar scene, a local sheriff had also come across the blocked lane and stopped his truck on the shoulder with his bright blue lights flashing. He was out simultaneously waving his flashlight at traffic and heaving his body against the downed tree and branches to try to make a safer pathway. I stopped with my rolled down window and asked if he needed help and if he wanted to use my flares. He politely declined saying that he was going to stay and mark the location until local road crews showed up.
With the situation safely in talented hands, I returned back to my normal work bound direction and finished my commute with no further anomalies. But my “call to inaction” got me thinking….. I was definitely called to turn around and make a dangerous situation better — only to have it already taken care of. And I can tell you that is not the only time that has happened. There have been many unblogged times where I have been called for my roadside ministry to turn around and help someone only to find out that they either already had help (or it was on the way) or were already gone with their problem solved by the time it took for me to find the next exit, turn around, and go back to help them.
On some of those times, I wondered why I was prompted by God to turn around when He knew that this situation was being taken care of. One answer that came to me was that He was testing my obedience. Just like in the Old Testament when He tested Abraham by asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was obedient and began to go through the action but ended up not having to do so. It is similar — in action, but not depth — when I obediently turn to serve someone. And don’t get me wrong — my turning around to help a fellow motorist is not as deep or sacrificial as God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. And also don’t get me wrong — I am probably just as disobedient by not turning around when I am called as to the number of times that I am obedient when I do serve someone else. This blog post is not meant to highlight my actions or inactions, but more to identify times where God tests us and our only need is to be obedient. Sometimes we don’t need to do anything more than that.
I encourage you to listen to God and be obedient in areas where you are called to service. Sometimes the only thing you need to do is say “yes” and answer His call. Even if you were intending to serve, God might already have it taken care of.
Please share and comment if you have experiences when God has “called you to inaction”.
…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net
