Home 
In 2005, singing sensation – and American Idol winner – Carrie Underwood released her song entitled Jesus Take the Wheel. I’m not a big fan of Country Music, nor do I think Jesus has much experience driving stick.
But after seeing pictures taken from the scene of a particular car wreck in Utah’s Mojave Desert, I have to wonder if Jesus didn’t take this wheel.
On Saturday, December 30, 2006, an Arizona driver, who remains unnamed due to state laws, was motoring along State Road 59 through Hurricane, Utah, a small town on the border between the two states.
Really motoring.
The driver of the 1991 GMC pickup was traveling between 80 and 90 miles per hour. And then it happened. He slipped onto the shoulder of the road, overcorrected, lost control of the vehicle, and then went airborne back across the both lanes of the highway.
The truck smashed through a protective guardrail running alongside the road. It hit a drainage culvert, flipped end-over-end, and then finally came to a rest pointing in the opposite direction it was just traveling.
The photo below clearly shows the damage done to the pickup and the guardrail. Fortunately for the driver, only minor bumps and bruises were sustained during the harrowing moments of the accident.
Looking at that picture may bring back memories for any of us who’ve ever been in a vehicle accident. A driver’s error leads to screeching tires.
The jolting impact leads to pain, hospitalization, or even death.
Those of us who’ve been in this situation usually leave the scene of the accident with questions: What happened? Why did that driver do that? Why did this have to happen to me? What happens now?
But I don’t think the driver in this accident asked himself any of these questions.
Nope. I think this driver is just grateful to be alive! If you’re wondering why I say that, you need to see the other picture taken from the scene of this accident.
Now, in case you can’t see the white truck –which hasn’t moved at all – it’s sitting about 12 inches from the edge of a cliff that drops 200 feet straight down into a gorge that feeds into the Grand Canyon.
That’s right; 12 inches over, and this driver would have faced certain death as his truck slid over the edge of the precipice.
Is this a miracle on the Mojave?
I don’t know him, but I can confidently say this guy wasn’t worried about an insurance deductible, car rental, or points on his license. He wasn’t even worried about a trip to the DMV! Nope; after taking stock of his situation and putting things in perspective, he was just glad to be alive.
Sometimes Christians need their lives put in perspective…especially in the midst of an accident, tragedy, or suffering. Like anyone else, we can lose sight of “the big picture” and slip into grumbling, self-pity, fear, or depression.
Perspective can be a precious thing. It can totally change our minds and attitudes. It can even change our lives. For instance, when Elisha’s servant was “missing the big picture” in 2 Kings 6:8-23, the prophet asked God to open his eyes so he could see from God’s perspective.
It’s fair to say that Job also gained some much-needed perspective in his conversation with God (as recorded in Job 40-42).
Closer to you and me, the Apostle Peter sought to put the suffering of Christ’s followers in perspective.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Our lives are lived best when we see them the way God sees them.
Click here for the online report. (Special thanks to JP from Tampa, FL for submitting this resource.)
Topics Illustrated Include:
Accident
God’s Power
God’s Protection
Miracle
Perspective
Safety
Worry
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
