The Jesus Movement of the 70's was a time of great revival, as the traditional church melded with the contemporary church. Many came to the Lord, especially those in their teens and early twenties. During this era, young Christian couples often married early; starting with less, living on love and by faith, with little need to have it all together before venturing out on their own. Now, fifty years later, some of those couples sit beside us in the Coastline pews. 

During those first years of marriage, many of us were still in college. And I was one of them. For a short time, I made my commute to Cal State Long Beach in an old, multi-colored clunker that was missing a functional gas gauge. I was making one of my many trips home from school on a December afternoon in 1975. The fall semester was coming to a close and Christmas fun was on the horizon. Thinking about the amount of gas I had left in my tank was not on my radar. 

Halfway home, my drive north came to an abrupt halt when the last bit of gas evaporated. As the car lost all power, I was able to roll over to the right shoulder of the lane, which shared the road with an on-ramp. I ended up parking in a very precarious spot.

So there I was, sitting in that big boat of a car, in the middle of the freeway, as all the other cars whizzed by, with my heart racing. This was way before cell phones. I had no idea how to get to safety. I desperately cried out to the Lord for help.

And then I saw him; a middle-aged man, sandy-haired, weathered face, in work clothes, exiting an old tan pickup that had stopped on the other side of the on-ramp. He grabbed a gas can from the bed of his truck and ran across two merging lanes to where I was parked. He carefully poured the contents of the gas can into my tank. How did he know I needed gas? 

The whole encounter lasted for only a few minutes, with many thank-yous from me and no more than a few words, if any, from him. I quickly started my car, and as I did, he smiled and ran back across the freeway to his truck and drove off. I watched him drive away as I pulled into traffic to complete my trip home. I really felt I had encountered an angel, sent by God to rescue me. I still believe that.

So, in those times when we may be irresponsible, immature, or just flawed, we shouldn’t expect a dramatic rescue, but sometimes God provides one. In his mercy, he intervenes on our behalf. Our faith is increased by evidence that he sees us, loves us, and has plans for us. We remember and it becomes part of our story.