In 1972, when I was eighteen and still a new Christian, during the early charismatic days, I was poorer than a church mouse – so was my older brother, Bruce.
Someone had given Bruce an old worn-out, rickety 1960 VW van which he used for a while. Then he gave it to me. Neither of us had any money to fix it. The van wouldn’t start without prayer first – it wouldn’t run without prayer – nor would it stop without prayer. And I’m not kidding.
The engine was so bad that if you tried to start it, it would just turn over or click until the battery died, so instead, we knew that we had to pray for a good solid five to ten minutes before attempting to start it. Then, when we had ‘The Peace’, we would turn it over and instantly it started.
The brakes were so squishy that it never should have been driven on the road. If you (literally) stood on the brakes until they hit the floorboard, the van might eventually stop. But in faith, I drove it all the time.
Numerous times, when we didn’t have gas, nor could we afford to buy any, we’d sit there and pray. If it was the only transportation to get us somewhere we believed the Lord was sending us, He’d do miracles. As we prayed, parked in the driveway, engine on or off, we’d watch the gas gauge rise from empty to a quarter tank, or more, until we had enough to get to our destination and back.
We used to have the Christian Free Drive-in in Columbus, Ohio where we lived, but it was way across on the other side of town. Columbus had over a million people, so not a small town by any means. Every Saturday night, they’d play free Christian movies for Christians to enjoy and, hopefully, non-Christians to hear the gospel and be saved.
So, one Saturday night, I packed the van full of youth from the church and headed across town, taking the freeway. They all knew the drill: pray to start – pray to stop. When we exited that particular freeway, instead of it being a normal exit, it just turned into a regular city street. As we exited, I immediately realized the street was backed up with dead-stop traffic all the way to the traffic light.
Somewhat panicked, I quickly told everyone to pray because I knew there was no way the van could stop in time. I stood out of my seat, standing on the brake, which was fully depressed on the floorboard. The van was slowing a bit, but I knew we were not going to be able to stop in time.
I watched in slow motion as we hit the station wagon in front of us. Hearing the loud crash, I felt horrible. Then some weird stuff happened.
First, the driver and the passengers in the station wagon very slowly turned around, like they’d heard an accident somewhere way far off in the distance behind them. That was strange. Second, instead of getting out of their car to see the damage and call the cops, per normal, when the light changed, they slowly drove off with all the other vehicles ahead.
As I watched them drive off, I was in shock. If you know anything about old VW vans, they have a flat nose. The engine is in the back, so the front of the van is a piece of sheet metal and a bumper tucked in close to the vehicle. So, I had a perfect bird’s eye view of the back of the station wagon in front of me when they drove off. I could see that there was absolutely no – zero – damage on it. Also, there was not a scratch on their bumper.
Pulling over to the side of the road so other traffic could move on, we all exited the van to see what had happened to my vehicle. Even though there was no damage to the station wagon, the front of my van was totaled – totally crushed in – in the shape of a large body.
The only explanation was that a large guardian angel had stood in the gap between the station wagon and my van. Although we hadn’t seen the angel with our eyes, that angel left a big impression, not only on my vehicle, but with all of us that night.
Being a young man back then, I took some crazy risks – but God was faithful. He was not only faithful in protecting me, but all those who were in the van that day.
Hebrews 1:14 says, ‘Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?’ That day we were saved by one of God’s guardian angels. I appreciate God and all of His angels for all they do for us – whether we recognize and see them or not.
Submitted by: Tom Snow
This story was taken from Tom Snow’s new book – The Daily Stand : A Spiritual Warfare Instruction Manual for Today and the Upcoming Next Great Move of God. This book is an accumulation of fifty plus years of personal experience and scripture, exploring topics that Christian believers need to know in walking with the Lord in daily life in a very practical, non-religious way. This manual shows how to stand against evil and effectively use God’s authority in Christ to stop it.
Once we get to Heaven and God shows us a reel of our life, we will discover how many times we were rescued, protected or redirected by supernatural means. What a divine privilege it is that, during our time on earth, God gives us snapshots into the supernatural realm, unusual happenings that announce that Heaven is present and involved in our lives.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:11
If you would like to share a personal story of supernatural protection or angelic activity in your history, please reach out. Private message me on Facebook messenger or email me and I will explain the details. I would love to share your testimony on my blog as an encouragement to others. As it says in Hebrews 3:13 – Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today’.
Also, you are welcome to share this story with your friends and family, or with anyone who needs some encouragement.
