By Sharon E. Wilkerson-Gilpin

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  Psalm 91: 9-11

Never Alone

I’ve experienced miracles in my life. One miracle stands out because it changed my life and renewed my hope.

I was serving in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in the 1990s as a public affairs specialist.  I was assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC where I reported monthly to serve.  I always prayed for safe travels in the busy Washington metro area.  I was a young lady traveling the congested highway.

One bright, spring Sunday morning, I was traveling en route to Coast Guard Headquarters on an unusually quiet I-395 when my tire blew out suddenly.  I shouted, “Lord, have mercy!”  My Toyota slid off the road into an embankment alongside the highway shoulder. Thankfully, my car was still drivable and undamaged by fire.  Miraculously, I wasn’t hurt, and I got out of the car to stand on the highway shoulder.  I thanked God while standing there!

While I was standing there using my cell phone to call my commanding officer, help showed up quickly!  An Army soldier in uniform stopped on the highway shoulder and drifted toward me asking, “Ma’am are you alright?”  I responded, “I’m not hurt.”  The soldier said, “I’ll help you get your car out of the embankment!”  

While I was still standing there thanking God and calling my mother on my cell phone, two more people came to help–a man driving a truck with equipment on board to help the soldier pull my car up out of the embankment and a nurse who calmed my anxiety and checked my vital signs.  With a calming voice, the nurse assured me I would be alright!  

My mother called a tow truck driver to transport me and my car safely home to Richmond, VA, and she was there waiting for me with a smile and open arms when I arrived home.  I told my mother how God sent people miraculously to help me on that lonely highway.  I thank God for those angels who were guarding me in all my ways.  I never could have made it home without their help!