Cold rain fell one dark winter evening as the temperature plummeted to 14 degrees. I felt uneasy when I realized the roads were becoming very slippery. We lived in the country near Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Our home was quite a ways from downtown Nashville where our son David was attending a night class at Belmont University.
David left the campus at eight o’clock that evening. He drove a new black Mustang, the car of his dreams! It was still an unfamiliar car to him and lightweight. Mustangs were not designed for traveling over icy roads. David had never attempted to drive on ice before; I knew he might be in for some trouble.
Our son began his trip home traveling east on Interstate 40. In a matter of minutes, he realized the Mustang was no match for the present road conditions. I felt helpless each time he called with a progress report. The frozen roads were so treacherous that many cars could not even make it off the exit ramps. David had no choice but to continue eastward.
My husband and I prayed together and asked God to protect David and all the motorists who were out that night. Suddenly, I felt the urge to talk to God alone. I went into our bedroom and closed the door. I prayed, “Lord, You can do anything! Will You just melt the ice before him and bring David home safely tonight, please?”
When I arose, the fear was gone, and I had a certain knowledge that David should detour from his planned route. I had an inner peace that he should make his way toward Andrew Jackson Parkway! It was unlikely that road would be salted, but I knew what God imparted when I prayed.
David agreed to change his course as soon as he was able and I felt a sense of relief! From that moment on, Burke and I knew what we needed to do. He prepared the four-wheel-drive SUV for any foreseeable difficulties we might encounter then we drove toward David with great caution. We saw many cars in ditches, yet we moved slowly but surely along at a crawl.
We were pleasantly surprised when our son called to say he had managed to reach the hardware store in Hermitage. He said, “My car is in one piece, and I would like to leave it here in the parking lot!”
When we arrived, David was happy to see us! The first thing he said was, “What a trip! I was glad to see the ice melted on Andrew Jackson Parkway! I was the only driver in sight, and I drove at normal speed. Water sprayed up from my tires as I drove!”
We traveled home the same way we came, very slowly and on ice. We all knew it was not possible for ice to melt when the temperature was 14 degrees. It was not humanly possible for our son to drive at normal speed with water splashing on the side of his car that night! Nothing is impossible with God! That evening we received a reminder:
With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
I believe a merciful Heavenly Father heard a mother’s prayer for her faithful son. He answered her prayer by sending exactly what she asked for. God melted the ice. God still receives the glory for that answered prayer each time we tell the story!
Our family made it home safely and we arrived in our warm, country kitchen where the embers glowed in the fireplace, inviting us to warm our cold hands. It was so good to be home; our family was safe and under one roof. God’s divine intervention demonstrated His love and His presence. Prayers of praise and thanksgiving overflowed from our hearts as we drifted off to sleep with the assurance that we were surely loved and safe in our Heavenly Father’s care.
He [God] sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them [the ice]; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. Psalm 147:15-18