The Emergency Stop.
While letting my mind wander through some old thoughts and memories lately I came across a memory that I hadn’t thought about for a very long time. It was the day I did my driving test. And an incident happened that day which was to come back to me in later years as a cherished lesson in faith.
I did my driving test as a teenager and it was done on a Friday mid-afternoon. The location was one of the busiest main roads in our city and the roads were filled with works traffic, school traffic, buses and other commuters. I don’t think that there was any part of my test were I drove any faster than 20mph.
During the course of the test I made every single mistake known to be made. When asked to turn right I indicated to turn left. The examiner reminded me to turn right and off we went down into the leafy streets of suburbia.
When it came to the bit where we “make the car face in the opposite direction using only forward and reverse gears” I did everything wrong during the maneouvre. I stalled the car. I hit the kerb. I took more goes at it than a more proficient driver would have done.
And the more I started to think about what I was doing wrong the more stressed out I became. After I tried all of the instructions that I had been asked, the examiner said, “OK sir. Why don’t we just drive back to the test centre now”?
I sighed, and smiled, and said ok. And off we drove back down the busy main road. Then it happened…..
It was so quick. A car had pulled out of a side street right into my path. I reacted quickly, stopped the car, put it in neutral, applied the handbrake and lifted my hands off all of the controls. The examiner didn’t realise what had happened until a couple of seconds after I did. He looked around then the realisation came to him. I had to do an emergency stop for real in bustling commuter traffic.
He said to me “Well done, son. We’ll go back to the test centre now”.
Still convinced that I had failed I drove back to the test centre watching all the traffic and obeying all the rules of the road. Then he gave me the news. I had passed my driving test.
But throughout all of my driving years I was fully convinced, and I am still convinced, that it was the fact that I had to do the emergency stop for real that made the examiner change his mind. And no one will ever convince me differently.
The memory came back to me when I was thinking about God’s restoring power for His children. I looked through my bible and found so many references.
Moses doubted his abilities and ran away from consequences. But in later years, enboldened by his experiences in the widerness, he faced down the might and authority of Pharoah and his advisors. After many long months of plagues and pestilence Pharoah still refused to recognise the Children of Israel’s God. And then…
Exodus Ch12 (28) The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. (29) At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. (30) Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. (31) During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. (32) Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."
Samson spent his whole life trusting the wrong people. But at the end of his days, belittled, demeaned and humiliated, he managed to carry out his final act which would destroy the temple of Dogon in the Philistine city of Gaza…
Judges Ch16 (28) Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." (29) Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, (30) Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
Consider also the apostle Peter who denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion. After the ressurection Jesus was cooking breakfast on the beach for His disciples. When He turned to Peter…
John Ch21 (15) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (16) Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." (17) The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
And all over the years of church history we have stories of people who let Jesus down at some point only to be restored again in their later years. John and Charles Wesley came back from the New Worlds as failed missionaries. But they both went on to write great hymns and help build the Methodist Church.
Two bishops, Latimer and Ridley, who denied Christ for fear of being burnt at the stake were once again restored to preach the Gospel of Christ. They were again burnt at the stake but this time they did not recant their Saviour.
And that same God who was with Moses, Samson, Peter, The Wesley Brothers, Latimer and Ridley is still with us today. He is guiding us through our mistakes and failures. He is with us every single time we trip up and fall. But some day, somewhere, something will happen. And we will stand with renewed strength and be the sons and disciples that Jesus always wanted us to be.
Just like that day of my driving test and the emergency stop. God will be
with me to the end. And He will make everything beautiful in His time.
Back to where I started from, then I know you would see.
A miracle of love that took me in it's sweet embrace.
And made me what I am today - Just an old sinner saved by Grace
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