Learning to Listen (Part II)

Well back to our story.  We are ready to leave on our family vacation.  Camping gear, kids all loaded in the van.  So off we go onto the highway.  We had no problems the first few hours as we drove through Texas on I –20 and then head north to Oklahoma on I-35.  It is here where we picked up on I-40 and proceeded to drive toward Amarillo TX.  About 75 miles outside of Amarillo we hit the worst rain storm I had ever seen.  It was practically raining sideways.  The wind was blowing from  the south rocking our van.  The visibility drop to about 10 feet  in front of the van.  I was driving in the fast lane because so many people were just stopping in the road and on the shoulder.  I was afraid of getting rear-ended if I stopped completely.  So traveling at about 35 mph out of nowhere our van was hit by a tremendous force of wind carrying our van from the passing lane to barely on the shoulder.  This would be hint “1” that going against what God tells you to do is a very bad idea.  After we all calmed down somewhat, I was still shaken inside, we traveled on into Amarillo and stopped at a new McDonald near the outskirts of town.  I think about this episode every time we drive past that store.  Turns out a tornado passed right over the section of I-40 in front of us.  If we had been just a bit further down the road there might not have been any of us left to tell this story.  Well God had gotten my attention, at least a little bit, I was thankful he spared us but I missed the main point – “GO HOME” so onward we pressed.  We had to make it to Tucumcari NM by night fall.  We pulled into the Holiday Inn and collapsed for the night wondering what laid in store for us tomorrow. 
Next time we will pickup as we head in to Colorado.
sherman
PS:  Although this story has a good ending and some funny lessons listening and obeying God is a serious thing.  God definitely took we to the woodshed but He was very kind in the way he dealt with my stupid and stubborn heart.  It is my pray that others might learn this lesson without having to go through something like this.  God loves you too much to just let you walk away.

Psalm 81:8-16

⁸ “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me! ⁹ “Let there be no strange god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. ¹⁰ “I, the Lord, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. ¹¹ “But My people did not listen to My voice, And Israel did not obey Me. ¹² “So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices. ¹³ “Oh that My people would listen to Me,That Israel would walk in My ways! ¹⁴ “I would quickly subdue their enemies And turn My hand against their adversaries. ¹⁵ “Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him, And their time of punishment would be forever. ¹⁶ “But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”