I am writing this blog in the hope that what I share might be able to also help others, and be a blessing to you. So these are some of the events that has taken place in my life.
Nearly 25 years ago, as a young man of 18 years old, I was nearing the end of my two years compulsory military subscription in South Africa, and was granted leave for the weekend. Having no transport my only option was to hitch rides. So on this Friday morning I got my first ride, and was dropped off on the freeway at a very dangerous off ramp where the freeway split in different directions. I was walking on the left intersection a Johannesburg, trying to get home which was Pietermaritzburg, a large town about 500 km away. The closest major city to my home town being Durban.
I was walking on the stretch of road as on-ramp to the adjoining freeway. This on-ramp was undergoing serious reconstruction, and was close to a kilometre before it joined the main freeway going to Durban. Of the three lanes, only one and a half was available for traffic. There was no room for anything else. Two cars alongside was pretty tight. A solid steel barrier, then simply one and a half lanes, with some large 200 litre sized drums, every 5 metres or so down the length of the road with an actual dug out of about one and a half meters deep on the other side - like a huge deep trench. This was a seriously dangerous piece of road, and totally and absolutely impossible for any car to stop anywhere until they eventually reach the main freeway further ahead. At my back, and towards the right was the freeway I had just shortly before arrived by. Looking back to where I just came from, I could for the most part not see oncoming traffic for more than 20 or 30 meters back, as I was already hidden by a hill as i was walking on the on-ramp towards the left. The main freeway I have arrived by was to my right, already about a 100 meters away, going straight ahead.
I stopped between some of the large drums, with traffic speeding by constantly at high speed, and no possibility of stopping. Even getting around a drum, to the next one was exceedingly dangerous. I was contemplating my situation, and was about to dodge around the next drum, with the intent to get to the end of the on-ramp going to the main freeway still half a mile ahead, when I noticed a car stopping back on the freeway behind me, where I had just came from. Why the driver had stopped I had no idea. For several reasons this made no sense. He could not have seen me until he was actually in the very position where he had now stopped. There was no one on that particular freeway hitch hiking, and no reason for him to stop. I was curious, but also out of options and decided to walk back to the road I had just came from, as it seemed by far the safer option, and somehow, impossibly, a lift was already waiting, although it was on the wrong road, going into the heart of Johannesburg, and not to my home in Pietermaritzburg, nor to the Durban freeway. So I turned my back on the Durban freeway, and headed to the car.
I got to the car, and sure enough the driver was waiting for me. I got in. I asked him how did he see me, and how did he know I was there - how did he know to stop? He replied that he didn't see me until after he had stopped, and that he was sent by God to come and pick me up. He said he was already near another town earlier that morning, about three hours previous when God told him to turn around and directed him to where he had just stopped. This was a bit strange, an a bit much for me to take in and make sense of.
As I was an experienced hitch hiker, I knew how to change topics and knew when asked where I was headed, to name the closest major city as being my destination. So when the driver asked where I was headed, I simply told him "Durban". It was at this point that things got even more weird. He looked at me, and said "No, you're not. You're actually going to Pietermaritzburg".
I must admit, I was a little taken aback.
I asked him why did God send him to come pick me up. His response was that I would have died on the on-ramp, with a truck running me over, and that God chose to intervene as it was not yet my time. This entire conversation was somehow surreal. Again, I tried to get back to familiar ground in my discussion. So I asked "Where are you from?" He answered vaguely by saying "I'm not from around here".
I responded by persisting "yes, ok, but where are you from?"
The answer this time again took me aback. "I'm not from this world".
That was it really, he eventually dropped me on the freeway headed towards Durban after we drove a long detour. So do angels exist? I know they do.
Nearly 25 years ago, as a young man of 18 years old, I was nearing the end of my two years compulsory military subscription in South Africa, and was granted leave for the weekend. Having no transport my only option was to hitch rides. So on this Friday morning I got my first ride, and was dropped off on the freeway at a very dangerous off ramp where the freeway split in different directions. I was walking on the left intersection a Johannesburg, trying to get home which was Pietermaritzburg, a large town about 500 km away. The closest major city to my home town being Durban.
I was walking on the stretch of road as on-ramp to the adjoining freeway. This on-ramp was undergoing serious reconstruction, and was close to a kilometre before it joined the main freeway going to Durban. Of the three lanes, only one and a half was available for traffic. There was no room for anything else. Two cars alongside was pretty tight. A solid steel barrier, then simply one and a half lanes, with some large 200 litre sized drums, every 5 metres or so down the length of the road with an actual dug out of about one and a half meters deep on the other side - like a huge deep trench. This was a seriously dangerous piece of road, and totally and absolutely impossible for any car to stop anywhere until they eventually reach the main freeway further ahead. At my back, and towards the right was the freeway I had just shortly before arrived by. Looking back to where I just came from, I could for the most part not see oncoming traffic for more than 20 or 30 meters back, as I was already hidden by a hill as i was walking on the on-ramp towards the left. The main freeway I have arrived by was to my right, already about a 100 meters away, going straight ahead.
I stopped between some of the large drums, with traffic speeding by constantly at high speed, and no possibility of stopping. Even getting around a drum, to the next one was exceedingly dangerous. I was contemplating my situation, and was about to dodge around the next drum, with the intent to get to the end of the on-ramp going to the main freeway still half a mile ahead, when I noticed a car stopping back on the freeway behind me, where I had just came from. Why the driver had stopped I had no idea. For several reasons this made no sense. He could not have seen me until he was actually in the very position where he had now stopped. There was no one on that particular freeway hitch hiking, and no reason for him to stop. I was curious, but also out of options and decided to walk back to the road I had just came from, as it seemed by far the safer option, and somehow, impossibly, a lift was already waiting, although it was on the wrong road, going into the heart of Johannesburg, and not to my home in Pietermaritzburg, nor to the Durban freeway. So I turned my back on the Durban freeway, and headed to the car.
I got to the car, and sure enough the driver was waiting for me. I got in. I asked him how did he see me, and how did he know I was there - how did he know to stop? He replied that he didn't see me until after he had stopped, and that he was sent by God to come and pick me up. He said he was already near another town earlier that morning, about three hours previous when God told him to turn around and directed him to where he had just stopped. This was a bit strange, an a bit much for me to take in and make sense of.
As I was an experienced hitch hiker, I knew how to change topics and knew when asked where I was headed, to name the closest major city as being my destination. So when the driver asked where I was headed, I simply told him "Durban". It was at this point that things got even more weird. He looked at me, and said "No, you're not. You're actually going to Pietermaritzburg".
I must admit, I was a little taken aback.
I asked him why did God send him to come pick me up. His response was that I would have died on the on-ramp, with a truck running me over, and that God chose to intervene as it was not yet my time. This entire conversation was somehow surreal. Again, I tried to get back to familiar ground in my discussion. So I asked "Where are you from?" He answered vaguely by saying "I'm not from around here".
I responded by persisting "yes, ok, but where are you from?"
The answer this time again took me aback. "I'm not from this world".
That was it really, he eventually dropped me on the freeway headed towards Durban after we drove a long detour. So do angels exist? I know they do.
