On Monday evening, a bus caught fire in Glebe. The driver and the passengers had to jump for their lives. The bus was completely destroyed, but, as far as I can gather, no-one was hurt. When I learned about this incident (through the wonders of social media!), I was struck with the thought of what a disaster it could have been if people had been trapped on the bus. And I made a point of praying and thanking God for his protection.
We have been praying that God would give our community a safe and restful holiday. The saving of those on the burning bus was one of many answers to that prayer. In fact, God is answering it every moment that our hearts continue beating. We could not continue in safe existence for even an instant except by God’s gracious care. As the apostle Paul explained to the Athenians (quoting one of their own poets), “In [God], we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The Bible says in another place that Jesus “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3).
God could just as easily have protected those passengers by preventing the bus fire altogether. They would still be under God’s protection, but in an uneventful way. That is how God usually operates. Most of the time, his providential protection goes unnoticed. It is only when he chooses to allow a “near miss” that we become aware of his protection, and are forced to our knees in thankfulness.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
In brief:
- We are prayerfully working towards starting a new all-ages informal congregation in the afternoons, probably in August. There is a information and prayer meeting on Sunday 31st January at 4.00 pm. Please come along.
- Also on the 31st, 8.00 am service starts back in-person.