Photo by James Schreiner
About 25 years ago, my best friend, Jennifer, lived in Atlanta, Georgia. She and I were in our twenties and had recently become very excited about the things of God. We would spend hours on the phone talking about the Word, and what He was doing in our lives.
At the time, I was working in the small town of Berea, Kentucky, and had decided to drive down to Atlanta after work one evening to spend the weekend with her. I set off on my journey at about 6 p.m.—which put me just north of Atlanta at around midnight. This was before cell phones and CD players, so I remember passing the time listening to my only “Hosanna Worship” cassette tape and praising God the whole trip down.
Now, this section of I-75 can be a very desolate place at that time of the night. The road is long and straight and there are no exits and no street lights—just miles and miles of flat highway. I never really acknowledged this until I felt that my life was in danger. As I was driving along, worshiping God, I noticed a car start to slowly pass me to my left. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a car full of guys waving at me and trying to get my attention. I was a little annoyed and just sped up to give them the hint that I wasn’t interested.
What followed was about 20 minutes of terror for me. No matter what I did, I could not escape them. I would intermittently slam on my brakes or drive as fast as I could to try and elude them. Nothing was working. I was constantly looking ahead for an exit or in my rear view mirror for other cars, but there was nothing. I was on my own, with no cell phone, and no way of outrunning them. The situation grew worse when they started swerving into my car to force me off the road. At times, I would have to get in the emergency lane to avoid being hit. They were hanging out the windows, yelling and taunting me. I was terrified. My eyes were frantically scanning the road ahead and my rear view mirror for a sign of help. Nothing.
Then—instantly—there were headlights right on my bumper. Instantly. They literally appeared out of nowhere. All I knew was that someone else was out there on the highway and I was not alone. As soon as I saw the lights, I pressed the gas as hard as I could to give myself space between me and the car full of guys. Much to my surprise, I watched from my rear view mirror as the car behind me swerved into the car of guys, forcing them off the road. I’m not sure exactly what happened because it was so dark. All I could see was the path of both cars’ headlights, and all I cared about was that I NEVER saw the car with my pursuers again.
After about 15–20 minutes, I was relieved to see a group of cars ahead of me and I settled in among them and tried to calm down. Then, all of a sudden, I felt a car slowly approaching to my left. I thought, “Oh, no!! They’re back!” When the car was exactly beside me, the driver slowed down as if to get my attention. I glanced over, expecting the worse. I will never forget what I saw. It was a white Saab with red interior. The inside of the car seemed to be lit up so that I could see the driver. She was an old woman with short, bushy white hair and looked to be wearing all white. She glanced over at me, gave me a knowing grin, and waved as she pulled away. I was stunned. Then I saw her personalized license plate—“PS103.” I screamed! I had no idea what Psalm 103 said, but I reached for my bible and tried to see. I later read the entire passage. Psalm 103:20 reads, “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” God is good.
A Million God Stories is a Christ-centered ministry which offers a platform for Christians from all streams of Christian faith to give praise for how God has worked in their lives. Christ heals in infinitely creative ways and we acknowledge that His way of helping may differ from person to person.
