The Patrolman

An Arkie's Faith column from the October 24, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

The Datsun pickup was loaded, and Duane was finally ready to head out into the night. It had been a very long day at work. He had a job that had to be completed before he could leave for a family function in Salt Lake City. He hadn’t made it home until after 2 A.M. In an hour, all of his tools and equipment were unloaded, and he was ready to go. As he headed west out of Denver, there was unrelenting darkness in the mountains. The night was starless, and the moon was covered with clouds that blended in with the rest of the sky.

Duane was tired and worried. The Datsun’s engine was grumbling and straining as it made its way up into the mountains. The little pickup didn’t have enough power, and the engine would sputter and cut out as it climbed in elevation. Because the engine was running so poorly and couldn’t keep the pickup traveling at normal speeds, the trip was taking a long time. “What is wrong with the engine,” thought Duane. “Is it going to quit and leave us beside the road?”

By the time he reached the town of Craig, it was 8 A.M. He pulled into an auto parts store that had just opened. He thought that possibly the carburetor was dirty and causing the engine to run poorly, so he bought a bottle of carburetor cleaner. To make sure that the cleaner went directly to the carburetor, he took the gas line loose and filled the fuel filter with cleaner. He then poured the rest of the carburetor cleaner into the gas tank. As he headed west out of Craig, the Datsun’s engine began to run better, and before long it was purring along on the lonely country highway. Duane was relieved that the little pickup was once again running as it should. It was running so well, that soon they were traveling down the deserted highway at 80 miles per hour.

“Finally, I will be able to make up some time,” thought Duane. He hadn’t seen another vehicle for half an hour when suddenly he noticed a patrol car approaching in his rear-view mirror. He looked down at his speedometer and saw that he was going over 80 miles an hour. “Oh no,” he thought, “I’m going to get a speeding ticket.” He slowed the pickup down and expected the patrolman to stop him, but instead, the patrolman pulled around him and then slowed down. “That’s odd,” thought Duane, but he was thankful that he hadn’t been pulled over.

“Why is the patrolman driving so slow,” thought Duane. “I don’t need anything else slowing me down,” But he wasn’t going to pass him, so he followed behind. In a short while, the patrolman slowly pulled off the road into the shallow ditch. Duane could then see that there was a bridge that had washed out during the night. He saw a work crew putting up barricades on the opposite side of the bridge, but there were no barricades on his side. He followed the patrolman through the ditch and across the dry creek bed. As he made his way back up onto the highway, the patrolman was nowhere to be seen.

As Duane recently told me this story, I could hear the emotion in his voice even though the event happened thirty-five years ago. He is positive that God was watching out for him and sent the patrolman to keep him from hurtling off a washed-out bridge at 80 miles per hour. I believe that God was watching out for Duane, and I believe that he does the same thing for you and me. But most of the time I am unaware of what God is doing for me.

There is a story in the Bible about the prophet Elisha that shows that I am not alone in being unaware of what God is doing for me. You can find the story in 2 Kings Chapter 6. The King of Aram is at war with Israel.  Somehow the King of Israel is aware of every move he makes. The King of Aram thinks he must have a traitor in his ranks passing information to the Israelites. His men tell him that it’s not one of the king’s men, but it is Elisha, the prophet from Israel. They said, “Elisha even knows what you say in the privacy of your bedroom.” The king sent horses, chariots, and many troops to Dothan to capture Elisha. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

We pick up the story in 2 Kings 6:15-17 (NCV), “Elisha’s servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes, and let him see.” The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

We are often totally unaware of how God is protecting us. When things aren’t going well for us, we are very aware; but when things are going smoothly, we don’t stop to think about God and how He is blessing us. “God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3 (NLT)

Gentle Reader, “He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go.” Psalms 91:11 (ICB) Whenever my Momma saw evidence of God working in her life or the life of others, she would refer to it as a “God thing.” Be on the lookout for “God things” in your life; It may even be a patrolman.