Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.”
THE PSALM 34 CHALLENGE – Day 9
You can join on any day – and memorize the Psalm at your own pace.
Today we add verse 9.
Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.”
Consider this: In verse 8, David appealed to unbelievers to trust in the LORD. In verse 9, he appeals to believers, whom he calls “His saints!” to fear the LORD. You fear or honor and respect the Lord by trusting Him to provide for all your needs. Dear believers, you can trust the Lord in everything and for everything!
I was in Canada for most of the summer of 1983 and in mid-September, I made my way to California to find a place to live. My wedding was less than two weeks away so I had a lot to get done before that day. I stopped in Seattle to see my future bride, and to tell her I would soon be back for our wedding. Krista and I fear the LORD and that causes us to worship Him and trust Him for everything in life. We asked the Lord to give me a safe trip to California and asked that He would help me to make it back in time for the wedding. So I jumped onto the I-5 freeway bound for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Road construction on the southbound lanes of the I-5 reduced the freeway to a single lane. Just 4 or 5 cars ahead of me I watched in amazement as a construction barrel fell over onto the freeway. Brake lights lit up and the first 3 or 4 cars skidded sideways – cars facing left, right, left, right and I jammed on my brakes. There was a large motorhome following close behind me and approaching fast. My old blue Volkswagen van was not equipped with anti-lock brakes and when I slammed on the brakes they locked and I slid hard to the left, over the gravel shoulder, and sideways down an embankment. The van came to a sudden stop. I was still upright! The van had not flipped, but there was no way I could drive up the side of the hill. I looked up and saw the lady driving the motorhome with her mouth wide open shaking her head at what she had just witnessed. I could see that if I drove forward in the gully it met up with the freeway a few hundred feet ahead of me. I got back on the freeway and was back on the road again. The LORD had answered our prayers for safety.
Around 7 p.m. that night I passed through Canyonville, Oregon and I was just starting my ascent towards Grants Pass. Suddenly I heard a metallic thump and I knew instantly that I had thrown a piston rod and the engine was ruined. I shifted into neutral and coasted to the right shoulder. I put on the emergency flashers and left the van at the side of the road. I ran across the freeway and back to the first gas station in Canyonville. They had a tow-truck and towed the van off the freeway and put it in their back yard. I asked the attendant if anyone in town worked on VW engines. He told me about an old hippie who could do the work. It was now nearly 9 p.m. so I asked the man if it would be okay if I slept in the van overnight. I had about $200 to my name so this would save me paying for a room.
The temperature that night caused me to shiver through the night. When I did sleep, the Lord gave me dreams that made me afraid to deal with the mechanic whom I had never met. When I did meet up with him in the morning he gave me three options – each of which would cost me $1000 (a very significant amount in 1983)! It was an impossible situation. I heeded the Lord’s warning and walked away.
I didn’t know what to do. I began walking north on the shoulder of the I-5 freeway, praying and pleading with the Lord to help me. I walked for nearly 2 miles and all of a sudden I came to a truck stop on the West side of the freeway. There were dozens of big rigs in the lot, and I was sure the Lord had answered my prayer. I went from truck to truck asking the drivers if they could put my van in their trailer or on the back of their flatbed truck and every one of them said, “No!” What were their reasons? Their insurance would not cover the load; they weren’t going to the Bay Area and many more reasons. I realized I needed a car transporter truck! I went to the mechanic shop at the back of the yard and asked a worker, “Do car transporter trucks ever pass through here?” He laughed at me and said, “No! They NEVER come through here. The mountain passes are too steep for them and cars are transported by rail through this area.”
I thought, “the Lord will help me. He knows my need. He will supply all my needs!” In the middle of the parking lot, surrounded by trucks, I bowed my head and cried out to the Lord and said, “Lord, I’m in trouble. I know you care for me and You will not abandon me in my need. Please help me! Lord, they said that car transporter trucks never come through here. I don’t care what they said, please bring one here today!” And I waited!
Ten minutes later a car transporter truck rolled into the parking lot and I ran up to the truck and when the driver opened his door I said, “Man, you are an answer to prayer!” Looking a little stunned at my sudden outburst the man said, “What do you mean?” I explained the entire story to him. After hearing about my dilemma, he pointed to his trailer and said, “Look – I’ve got a full load! I can’t help you….but wait a minute…I know our company has another load coming through tomorrow. Let me call dispatch. He did and he was informed that the next rig had just one space left on it – and they were heading for the Bay Area. I made all the arrangements through him and thanked him for his help.
He said, “Someone must be watching out for you. I never take a break at this time of the day, but about 10 minutes before I pulled in here I had an overwhelming sense of tiredness come over me and when I saw the sign for the truck stop I had to pull in.” I said, “The Lord heard my prayer. He brought you here because I needed a truck. You are an answer to prayer!”
I ran back to town to leave the keys at the gas station and gather my belongings. Their tow truck would push the van onto the car transporter truck the next day and I’d get my van when I returned to the Bay Area. I ran to the bus station in town and boarded a Greyhound bus back to the Bay Area. And yes, I made it on time for my wedding the following week.
Are you one of His saints? The LORD promises to meet all your needs. But what do you want? Someone has said that there are two ways of being rich. You can be rich in the abundance of your possessions or you can be rich in the fewness of your wants.
Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.”
