God wasn’t in the snowstorm

I was driving with my children, and what had started as light snow turned into a storm. While snow in that season is not unexpected where we live in New England, the suddenness and severity of this storm caught everyone by surprise. Visibility was terrible, and vehicles around us were spinning out. There was no way to safely stop, as we were in the middle lane on a major highway.

Instead of giving in to fear, I reached out in prayer to our divine Father-Mother, God. For me, reaching out to God sometimes means a simple expression of gratitude for God’s care and love. Other times I begin with a familiar Bible verse or hymn. Whatever form it takes, it’s a recognition that there is a power higher than myself. This recognition helps me become more aware of God’s love and inspiration.

In this case, I mentally asked, “What does God know about this situation?” The thought immediately came to me, “God is not in the snow.”

This was a riff off a Bible story in which a prophet named Elijah was looking for God’s direction as to what he should do next. Elijah watched as “a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (I Kings 19:11, 12).

Elijah was standing right there when the wind, earthquake, and fire came. Yet these things had no power to harm him because they lacked the power of good, of God, who is divine Truth and Love. God does not create destructive elements or cause dangerous situations. God’s omnipotence, or supreme power, is represented by calm, strength, safety, and peace.

That “still small voice” is here today, too, to comfort, protect, heal, and guide us. Author, teacher, and healer Mary Baker Eddy writes, “When error strives to be heard above Truth, let the ‘still small voice’ produce God’s phenomena” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” p. 249).

At that moment in the car, I realized I did not have to be overwhelmed by what was happening outside the car. Instead, I could listen for divine inspiration speaking to me of God’s care and goodness. A favorite hymn says in part:

Our Lord is God alone,
No other power we own;
No other voice we heed,
No other help we need;
His kingdom is forever.
(Frederic W. Root, “Christian Science Hymnal,” No. 10)

Fear lifted as I realized that all of God’s children are safe in God’s kingdom, the realm of divine Love. I sang out loud a poem by Mrs. Eddy titled “Love” that has been put to music in the Hymnal and that I’ve always sung to my children before bed. It begins, “Brood o’er us with Thy shelt’ring wing, / ’Neath which our spirits blend” (“Poems,” p. 6). I loved the idea of everyone being sheltered beneath divine Love’s wing!

As we approached our exit, I put my car’s blinker on and began making my way to the right lane. There was a car behind me and one on the other side. Just as I began to steer to the upcoming exit, a truck came speeding past and kicked up snow and slush onto our windshield and windows. It was more than the windshield wipers could handle, and I could not see anything.

At that moment, I clung to the inspiration that had come from my prayers thus far. As I prayed, it felt as if our car was being gently pushed along, and when our windows cleared, we saw that we were on the exit ramp, safely out of harm’s way.

We immediately thanked God for what clearly seemed to be divine protection – for both us and the others on the road. Just then, a plow truck appeared up ahead, and we were able to follow it for quite a ways, which made navigating the roads much smoother. Eventually, we made it safely to our destination.

God wasn’t in that snowstorm. God isn’t in any adverse circumstance that might arise. But God is always present to protect and guide us, to help us see that whatever seems potentially harmful actually has no legitimate power to influence the harmony of God’s children. As the prophet Isaiah promises of God, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3, New King James Version).