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The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121:7-8
Reflect
It was a dark and stormy night. No, really. The evening of March 14, 2008, in Atlanta, Ga., was filled with rain, lightning and thunder. I lived just north of the city, and I remember that it was a blustery night. But we had no idea just how blustery things were about to get in downtown Atlanta.
That evening the Southeastern Conference was hosting its annual men’s basketball tournament at the Georgia Dome, and a game between Mississippi State and Alabama was in its final seconds. Late in the game, Mississippi State led 59-56 and Alabama looked to be out of time. With just a single tick left on the clock, Alabama guard Mykal Riley got off a three-point shot that swished through the net as time expired. The game ended regulation tied at 59-59 and went into overtime.
What’s significant about that shot is that midway through the overtime period, a massive tornado barreled through downtown Atlanta and actually hit the Georgia Dome. Had Riley missed his last-second shot, the game would have ended and thousands of fans would have poured onto the streets – just in time to get sucked into the tornado.
That night, if you were a Mississippi State fan who was at the game, you would have likely been frustrated when Mykal Riley hit his shot. But you also would have unknowingly been spared injury or even death at that same moment.
Every day we encounter little frustrations and sometimes even major aggravations. The car breaks down. The roof gets a leak. The electricity goes out. There’s a huge traffic jam that makes you late. You get held up at work for an extra half hour. Any number of unforeseen issues and wrinkles can seemingly derail our day. But how often do we see those things as potential blessings and as the unseen hand of God protecting us from an unknown danger?
Today, when you come up against an unpleasant surprise, instead of letting the anger and frustration rise up inside of you, “count it all joy” and thank the Lord for His love and protection.
Reflection copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
