Article July 28, 1997 Issue

Never ever out of God's care

Eldon Appling

THERE was a time in my life when I needed to know more about the immediacy and availability of God's care. A business difficulty that had been developing over several years seemed unyielding, despite my prayers. One day I unwisely (and mistakenly) concluded that God would deal with the matter in His own time and in His way. I felt that while I could trust in His wisdom and love for the right answer, I would simply have to endure until that time came. This concept, that I had to continue living with the torment and heaviness of the situation for an uncertain time, was blinding me to the immediacy of God's care.

That afternoon I was working by myself on the roof of my factory, making some minor repairs. As I was bending over to climb down a ladder from one level to another—about a twelve-foot distance to a hard deck below—the base of the ladder slipped out from under me and I began to fall headfirst. Then, in what seemed like a fraction of a second, I let go of the ladder, grabbed the rain gutter, and was saved from the fall.

At first I was angry. This accident seemed to me to be clear evidence that I was separated from God. It brought to mind the fears and the helplessness I had been feeling about the unsolved business difficulty. Then, in reviewing what had happened, I suddenly realized how I had been saved from falling!

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