Okay, so I might have a bit of a lead foot. To be fair (to me), my GPS took me all over the wrong way and I needed to make up time. Yes, that’s me trying to make an excuse for driving over the speed limit. In truth, there is no excuse, not any good one at least. I got pulled over yesterday evening. Again. This time, however, I did not get a mere warning and a happy smile. If it had been Batesville I would have gotten a warning, I know it. The police officers here all know me pretty well by now. The Walnut Ridge police, on the other hand, only know me as that guy in the red car going far too fast on a wet road.
This devo isn’t a confession though; I have a point to make.
You see, it just so happened that, not thirty seconds before the blue lights started flashing, I whispered a prayer to the Lord above. Here’s what I said…
“Lord, I’m going pretty fast right now, trying to get there on time. Please keep me safe.”
Who can spot the problem with that prayer?
As a matter of fact, it’s kind of an arrogant thing, to pray with an acknowledgment of my crime (“I’m going pretty fast” I said) and expect God just to overlook that. So, God being God—a Protector and Shepherd to this sometimes foolish sheep—He answered my prayer, not in my way, but in His. He kept me safe, as I asked, but He didn’t do it while allowing me to continue speeding. Instead, He kept me safe, providentially, and in accordance with Romans 13:3-5, by giving me a ticket and forcing me to slow down.
Did I enjoy getting a ticket? Not in the slightest. But, looking back, there’s a lesson to learn and I will (hopefully) learn it. There’s also a comfort to take away from it, namely this:
For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Hebrews 12:6-7
Indeed.
~ Matthew