The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Psalms 37:23

The Lord has promised to order the steps of those who walk uprightly in His sight, so whenever I am tempted to get annoyed when things do not turn out the way I hoped they would, I am always reminded of this verse. In hindsight, I can see that in many instances the Lord was indeed ordering my steps without my realizing it.

I am a lover of gospel music and so a few years ago when I learnt that a popular American gospel artiste would be in Jamaica for a concert, I was all excited as I decided that would attend. It was a midweek concert, so I arranged to depart work early enough so that I could avoid the traffic. Apparently, many other persons were thinking along the same lines, as the traffic was horrible and it took me a long time to get to the venue, even though I had left early.

To my dismay, when I arrived, all the parking spaces were already taken. The parking attendant directed me to another parking lot on the opposite side to the venue, however, it was difficult to turn back as it was a one-way street, and at the time, I did not know the area well enough to maneuver my way around to find a place from which I could turn back. In addition, there was no guarantee that having gotten to the other parking lot, I would be able to find a space to park.

Frustrated, I decided to continue along that stretch of road, hoping to find a parking spot. Sure enough, I found a spot between two other vehicles. It seemed like the perfect spot as it was right along the sidewalk and my car, being a small hatchback, would fit in easily. As I prepared to take the spot, the Holy Spirit gave me a one-word instruction. All I heard in my spirit was ‘Drive!’  As much as I wanted to stop and park, I could not. Something kept me from doing so and I continued to drive. By this time, I was way past the venue and I just had to continue driving as I realized that I would not make it to the concert that night.

 Disappointment filled my mind as I drove home.  I cried out to the Lord. “Lord, you know how much I was looking forward to this concert and you couldn’t help me to find a parking space?”.  Immediately the response came. “You don’t know what I am saving you from!” I quickly repented as I remembered that God knows all things best and it was not His will for me to be at the concert, even though He knew that I would be sorely disappointed.

The next day I was talking to a friend who had attended the concert. So I enquired about how the concert was but before answering my question she shared an incident that had taken place. The parking lot had filled up quite quickly and as such many persons were unable to find proper parking space. In desperation they had ended parking along the roadside, and sad to say, their vehicles were towed away and impounded because they had been parked illegally on the road side, in breach of the municipal regulations.

When I heard that news, I was concerned for the affected motor vehicle owners, however, I had to breathe a sigh of relief. This was what the Lord was saving me from! If I had disobeyed the voice of the Lord and parked along the roadside, my vehicle would have been towed away and I would have suffered the very fate of those other persons. I had been saved from the stress of having to find thousands of dollars to retrieve my vehicle from the pound. God had kept me from all the inconvenience and trouble that being in such a situation would have brought.

I give thanks that I have a God who sees the end from the beginning, who knows when trouble is heading our way, and who is gracious enough to shield us from them.

I trust that this testimony has been a blessing to you. Please share it to encourage others. As you go through the day, meditate on the words of this song.

Blessings and peace to you.