The Todays When I Can't... Who Can?

The Todays When I Can't... Who Can?
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 by Susan Lyttek

Lately I’ve been reading a series of Christian cozy mysteries to soothe my agitated soul. Much to my surprise, the last couple of stories have had angels intervene in response to prayer. These situations posed by the author occurred when nothing, absolutely nothing, could be done humanly speaking to resolve the issue at hand.

Sometimes, pulling that divine “get out of the problem free” card feels like a cheat. But because of the prayers that prefaced the occasions, it didn’t strike me that way in these stories. It could also be that I would really like to see God send some angels in right about now.

While I’m positive that I’ve interacted with or been the recipient of angelic help on a few occasions, I only saw one once. Frankly, that was enough. The moment was both comforting and terrifying.

A friend of mine, Matt, and I had attended an all-day Christian writer’s conference near Annapolis. The trip to the meeting had been sunny and uneventful. An easy drive. We had a wonderful day of learning and meeting other writers. It had been a good and purposeful day, but we were exhausted and the weather had turned. Our bright spring day had become rainy and windy. Our energy had been used up as we attempted writing exercise after writing exercise.

I had to drive home. I couldn’t even pass it off on Matt because he didn’t know how to use a clutch.

Saying a prayer for our trip home, I asked my friend to at least be an extra set of eyes on the road. We made our way from the side roads to 50 without incident. But the little bit of energy I’d had seemed to be draining quickly. As I entered the beltway from the on-ramp, the rain mixed with fast-approaching night gave the highway an unearthly glow, impeding visibility.

Deciding to stay with the slower traffic to the right after seeing another car hydroplane briefly, I hoped this group of drivers would use more caution.

About a half mile ahead of me, pulled off to the shoulder was an unfortunate car with what I presumed to be a flat tire. One vehicle was in front of them and a couple people stood in the rain looking at the car in the back.

“Watch out!” Matt bellowed.

I turned my gaze from the shoulder to the car in front of me that had slammed on its brakes. In front of them, another vehicle had crossed from the center lane, aiming for the shoulder. This last-minute Good Samaritan had no idea what havoc started behind him.

I depressed my brakes to the floor, pumping slightly to avoid sliding, narrowly missing the car before me. But a glance in my rear view proved that the car behind me had not noticed anything and neared my bumper way too fast.

I tried to warn Matt, but didn’t utter much more than a shriek as I gripped the wheel tightly.

Almost at that exact moment that I noticed the incoming, a face, calm and serious, appeared in front of the car. I could still see the car through the face, as if I looked through something ghostly. Then, the white form stretched up and out, blocking the approaching car from me.

“Thank you, God!”

Impossibly, no cars hit each other.

As soon as the collisions were averted, the angel disappeared. For I knew, without a doubt, that I had seen an angel. I told Matt all about him on the rest of the way home. I couldn’t stop praising God for his intervention.

On the highway, there was absolutely nothing I could do to protect myself, my car or my passenger. In the novels, there was nothing the characters could do to resolve their situations. Then, sometimes we see when God sends his warriors.

But usually we don’t.

Remember Daniel the prophet had been prostrate in prayer for days, agonizing over what his vision might entail. He could do nothing to answer his questions. There was no where to turn. But during all those days, angels battled against the evil and worldly principalities to try and reach him. He couldn’t see the battle. But I’m guessing, since he persisted in prayer, that he could sense it.

There was nothing else he could do.

On the “this day”s when I can do nothing, on the todays when I live at the end of myself and can only pray, I must trust that the angels are at hand, waging war against the enemies of God. I must trust that because God’s word says that is their job. I must trust that because I need divine help. I must trust that because once, on a crowded highway, I saw an angel.

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