A young woman & her father were traveling home from a nearby town. They had been in town to visit a local church where her father, who was a pastor, preached at the church’s anniversary. Her father was much anointed; he was compassionate & loving to his members, and very obedient to the calling the Lord had given him. He was a dynamic preacher, impacting the lives of many with his Holy Spirit filled sermons that had led many souls to Jesus Christ. His daughter loved hearing him preach, and would often accompany him on his out-of-town trips to hear his sermons. She also served as “chauffeur”, as he was pretty elderly & didn’t drive much.
It was a beautiful sunny evening as they headed back toward their hometown. It had been a long day, but a Spirit-filled day of worship and praise, and now the young woman relaxed, taking in the scenery of the journey home. She was so engulfed in the peace and quiet that she didn’t notice that the blue sky started to dot with thin clouds. Yet, midway through their journey, the clouds thickened and were now gray, and the sun was darting in & out of them. “I think it may rain,” she said to her father. Her father didn’t answer, so the young woman just guessed he was asleep. Undeterred she kept driving.
All too soon the sky turned gray with matching clouds, and rain began to fall. It was a steady rain so the young woman kept driving. But as she drove on she noticed the rain beat hard on their car. It was now dark, so she turned on her lights. “I didn’t know it was supposed to storm. It seems like this came from out of nowhere,” she said. But again her father didn’t answer. “He surely must be asleep,” thought his daughter. Still not shaken, she drove on, but slowed her speed.
As if on cue, thunder boomed and lightning lit up the sky. A little shaken, the young woman slowed her speed drastically. “Daddy,” she said, “it’s storming pretty badly. I think I should pull over.” Her father didn’t answer; at first she thought he was sleeping so soundly he didn’t hear her. Just as she started to repeat herself, her father, in a clear & calm voice answered, “Keep driving”.
The young woman bit her lip, nervous, but she continued to drive. The rain continued to fall, harder and harder with each mile; soon it was as if water was being poured from buckets. The thunder grew louder and the lightning became fiercer, and now the wind began to howl. It was so dark that she could only see the hood of the car. She had to slow down to the point it seemed the car was moving at a crawling pace. She was now very shaken; she had never driven in conditions like this. As she crawled along, she was able to see dim lights on the side of the road; passengers pulled over the side, hoping to wait the storm out. Thinking it was a good idea, she said again, this time in trembling voice, “I really think I should pull over, Daddy". Convinced that her father didn't hear her, she began to sob quietly. But again, in clear, calm voice, her father answered, "Keep driving".
The young woman was beside herself with fear and anxiety. “I want to pull over; I should pull over. I can’t see anything. I don’t know if it can get worse than this” she thought. Her nerves were completely shot, but she drove on, straining her eyes for a focal point in the darkness. A few seconds later, the rain began to lighten up, and soon after it began to fall lightly. As the car picked up speed, the rain became a drizzle, and the dark sky was now gray and more visible. The young woman was ecstatic! She could see the road. As the wipers worked across the windshield, she watched as the clouds began to roll away, making room for patches of blue sky. And as the car moved ahead, the sun even peeked in and out from the clouds. After a while, she heard her father say, “Pull over. I can take it from here”.
The young pulled over into an empty lot, parked the car, and turned off the motor. As she turned to face her father, tears fell from her eyes as the rain had previously fell from the sky.
“Daddy”, she sobbed, “I don’t understand. How can you do this to me? You want to drive now? I couldn’t see where I was going! I was scared! I told you I needed to pull over! But you made me keep going! I needed you and you just told me to keep going like nothing was happening!” she said hysterically. She put her face in her hands and wept profusely.
Her father put his hand on her shoulder. “Child,” he said, “I love you very much, and would never tell you to do something I know you can’t do. Yes, that was a very bad storm, but I knew you could get through it, which is why I told you to keep driving. Those cars you saw pulled over. Right now, they’re still stuck in that storm because they quit and pulled over. But I didn’t want you to be stuck in it, so I told you to keep going. And if it got too much for you, I was right by your side to take over when you couldn’t” he said. “Child, you’ve done an excellent job. Now take your deserved rest while I take the wheel.”
His daughter looked up at him, with tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around her father, and sobbed. “I love you, Daddy”, she whispered.
“And I love you, child” he immediately answered.
..........to be continued............