A Walk in the Providence of God

During the two years that I taught at a middle school, I had the privilege of spending two summers with my grandparents who lived in Colorado at the time. Grandpa and Grandma owned a big blue Dodge van which they used for hospitality on wheels. They loaned the van out for church use frequently and also loved to take visitors up into the glorious Rocky Mountains.

As a frequent recipient of blue van hospitality, I wanted to reciprocate and take Grandma to the mountains during her visit last week. At first, she said that she did not want to go, that she had seen the mountains enough, but Aunt Beth whet her appetite with a short jaunt to Boulder Canyon. When we brought up the idea again to take a trip to Sprague Lake, Grandma was game.

We prepared our gear the night before to be ready to hit the road at 8 a.m. Our departure was delayed first by trying to figure out Grandma's medication and then by troubleshooting malfunctioning oxygen cannisters. Thankfully, James had the day off, and being blessed with "The Knack", he was able to fix the regulator. We left about an hour and half "late".

Driving into Estes Park, we realized that it would be better to eat lunch before going on into Rocky Mountain National Park. We parked near Lake Estes and had a picnic while watching rainstorms surrounding us. Lighting flashed in the dark clouds hovering over the surrounding mountains, but we lunched in the one bright spot of the landscape.


Aunt Beth questioned whether it would even be worth it to venture into Rocky Mountain National with the rain. I pointed out that we could still take a short scenic drive in the park, and she agreed. I silently asked the Lord for good weather so that Grandma would be able to get out and enjoy the mountains. We pulled into the parking lot near Sprague Lake and helped Grandma into her wheelchair while she donned a rainhat, jacket and grabbed her umbrella. As we started walking, the sun broke out of its cloud covering and spread its rays over the lake.

We enjoyed strolling with Grandma around the lakeside path, while the kids climbed boulders and chucked stones in the water. Baby ducks, seemingly without parental supervision, entertained us by darting in and out of the grass at the water's edge. Grandma got out of her wheelchair and walked a third of the way while holding on to her chair. We all soaked in the sun and the beauty of the scenery.

After circling the lake, Grandma said that she thought we should head home. As we walked to the van and the car, the clouds rolled in and started sprinkling. We drove out of the park in a downpour. Aunt Beth and I both said, "Thank you Lord!" as we realized how he had timed our trip. From our perspective, it had seemed like hassles arose which made us "late" in starting our trip, but God, as always, by His Providential care brought us to the lake at just the right time to bless us with a lovely lakeside walk. (Click here for yet another example which I blogged about. Why don't I recognize and praise God for His Sovereign Providence every minute of every day?!)

For I know that the LORD is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Ps. 135: 5-7