Only God

Only God could have done this. Have you ever felt that way? Sometimes there is just no other explanation. Someone shows up at just the right time. Things just happen to work out perfectly. It’s more than a happy coincidence when things fall together unusually smoothly.

Early in our marriage, Doug and I traveled to Europe. We flew to Luxembourg, took a train to Vienna, then rented a car for the rest of the trip. We were young, traveling on our own through foreign countries. For the most part, we didn’t know the language, and my high school French was not helpful. I’ve lost track of the number of times strangers came to our aid–not to take advantage of us, but to offer genuine help, which we seemed to need often.

For instance, on one occasion, we drove through a snow covered area on a narrow alpine road. An abundance of snow surrounded us, but the road was mostly clear, and traffic was light. Probably giving more attention to the picturesque scenery than the mechanics of driving, my husband momentarily let our rented Volkswagen wander over the edge of the narrow road onto what looked like the shoulder. It turned out to be a snow-filled ditch. The snow pulled us completely off the road, and we were stuck in snow up to the doors.

We weren’t stuck long. Though we had seen relatively little traffic before this, the car had barely stopped moving when a truck appeared behind us. The driver stopped when he saw us. Two stocky men, dressed in dark gray from their stocking caps to their boots got out. Then one of them stood in the middle of the road with his arm raised to stop a vehicle behind them–another truck. Two men, similar in build and appearance to the first pair, got out of the second truck. The four men approached our car and gestured for us to stay inside. They positioned themselves around the car, lifted us out of the ditch, set us on the road and waved us on our way. Not a word was spoken.

These odd looking men lifted the car, us and our luggage out of deep snow, seemingly effortlessly, and placed us back on the road. By our calculations they must have lifted almost five hundred pounds each.

It was supernatural. I don’t know if these men were angelic beings, or if God just gave them supernatural strength. Whatever the explanation, what happened was not ordinary. We could have been stranded for a considerable time in an isolated area, with few options for help. But the rescue appeared even before we had a chance to assess how bad our predicament was.

Only God knows all the details of what is needed, and when. He can send His angels to minister to us when we need help, or he can place the right people in our path at just the right moment. We would be unwise to presume on His grace by taking foolish risks. God may not always send aid in dramatic ways, but He sees us. When we are pressed for time and sail through twenty-one traffic lights without having to stop, it’s not just a coincidence. Or if we are short on money and the items we need are on sale, we know God cares about the details in our lives. When a stranger shows up to offer just the right thing, at just the right time, we can know that God is watching over us. May we remember to thank Him.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.                  Psalm 121:8 NLT

When have you had an “only God could have done this” moment? Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

© 2025 Phyllis L. Farringer

Image by Kihyuck Kim from Pixabay