A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers   

Psalm 91:11, 12, “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” It was a beautiful autumn day. I was 12. My brothers and I, as we were accustomed, had been playing in the mountains adjacent to our home. We had discovered a litter of puppies that were being cared for by their mother under one of the cliffs that jutted out from the mountainside. As we approached the puppies, they characteristically began to run and, like boys, we gave chase. Autumn leaves painted the ground as if God has been using it as His canvas. Suddenly, while in pursuit of one of the little creatures I stepped—into nothing. For a few seconds, all was a blur. Then came the impact! What had happened? The brightly colored leaves underfoot had blended well with the leaves below a cliff that I had inadvertently ran over the edge. My brothers, who witnessed me going over and seeing the subsequent fall, told me later they knew I was dead. After I hit the ground below, I tumbled down the mountain with such force, I cleared a broad path to the bottom. Our postmaster had also witnessed the fall and came running to my aide; but was as surprised as my brothers that I incurred no injuries. Later, it was estimated the cliff was higher than a standard power pole. To say God was with me that day is an understatement. All I could see was a blur—in fact, that’s all I remember. But what I could not see was the unseen angel of the Lord, protecting a little boy, because of the unfulfilled destiny and purpose yet to be realized in his life. How often, my friend, does the Lord dispatch His angels to guard, protect and deliver us from the unforeseen hazards of life—in my case, the most common hazard is me! In our Scripture lesson today, the Psalmist assures us that “He shall give His angels charge over [us].” It is a solemn charge they keep. So, as you go about your day today, and find that you almost experienced an accident; or you came close to injury; or you barely missed a hazard, remember—God is preserving you because of the unfulfilled destiny in your life; so you may live as a testament to His grace with each new day.