A Trifecta of God’s Faithfulness
The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,
for His compassions do not fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I wait for Him.”
I laughingly say, “I experienced a ‘trifecta’ of God’s faithfulness,” recently. The word “trifecta” comes from the prefix "tri," denoting a group or set of three, or a triad. Another definition is coined from the use of trifecta in modern-day racing circles. A trifecta is a type of bet, especially on horse races, where the bettor must select the first three winners in the exact order. (To be quite honest, I knew the word “trifecta” meant three in a race, but I had no idea it was linked to betting!)
My silly title has nothing to do with horse racing, but it has everything to do with three events in the short space of three days, and the surety of God’s faithfulness in all three situations. Once again, gratefully, God proved He is my portion through thick and thin!
On a whim, Don and I decided to head to beautiful Colorado for three nights in mid-October. Longing for even a glimpse of waning golden aspens and snowcapped mountains, we left early Tuesday morning and arrived in Avon, CO, by evening. After a good night’s sleep, we headed out on our first scenic mountain drive. Knowing we missed the height of spectacular golden aspens, I quipped, “Yep, the glass is either half full or half empty. I choose half full.” Brilliant patches of yellow aspens pressed against the dark green pines and popped forth when snow-covered mountains rose in the background. Don and I were in our happy place. The Colorado River and its tributaries meandered below us along US-6 and 24 through Leadville, CO. At Twin Lakes, we turned onto CO-82 to ascend even higher. We wound around steep curves as we made our way to 12,000-foot Independence Pass. God’s creation never disappoints. We pulled over and got out to enjoy the crisp, clear air and mountain vista.
Soon, we were chilled enough to begin our descent away from Independence Pass, continuing our drive through the Sawatch Range and the Elk Mountains in the Rocky Mountains. We hadn’t driven very far when we both realized something was not right—in fact, in no time, we knew something was terribly wrong. I spoke to Don, but only unclear syllables came out. He thought he had just misunderstood my soft comment. I tried again. I recall having an obvious picture of words in my mind, even seeing the letter “B,” but when I opened my mouth and tried to purse my lips for the “B”, I heard different letter combinations slide out. They were more like unmatched syllables. This is not good.
Don slowed the car and asked me to look at him. He told me later that my eyes were wide with questioning surprise, but my face showed no drooping. I looked fine, yet I sounded quite the opposite. Our minds raced with mostly unspoken words, no pun intended on my part! Lack of oxygen at high altitudes? Stroke? Heart? To make matters worse, our winding highway descent was out of cell phone range; we couldn’t call 9-1-1.
Don fervently prayed for wisdom while keeping an eye on the road—and me. He says he knew he just needed to get down the mountain into the town of Aspen. They would have a good hospital. If nothing else, we could pull over and call an ambulance soon. Within 15-20 minutes, my speech improved. I reasoned that this was probably a now-corrected reaction to a lack of oxygen; he reasoned that we would definitely find out at the hospital.
Trifecta Event #1 — God Provides Expert Health-care Workers for my care!
In less than two minutes of arriving at Aspen Valley Hospital, I was whisked away from the ER registration desk to a bed surrounded by professionals. In the next 18 hours, I experienced every imaginable preventive care and test: heart monitor, blood work, an IV, a CAT scan, an MRI, and an EKG. I even had a “video” exam and a consultation with a neurologist in Denver. The result? After an overnight stay for observation and more tests, my expert staff explained I had a transient ischemic attack (TIA), often called a mini-stroke. I came home wearing a heart monitor and some new prescriptions. I also came home knowing that my God provided exactly what I needed when I needed it, and where I needed to be seen. I couldn’t have asked for better care!
Trifecta Event #2 — God Cares about Traffic and Finances!
We pulled away from the hospital in grateful prayer the following day. We felt a rush of emotions over God’s beautiful creation and the excellent care I received. During the nearly two-hour drive back to Avon, we discussed the inevitable Denver rush-hour traffic the next morning; we reasoned that we would much rather face traffic now than then. By the time we returned to our hotel, we had reservations for a motel in Limon, CO, so we packed quickly and headed east.
We discovered Denver’s evening rush hour traffic comparatively light, with only slowdowns, no complete stops, and no delayed waits. Answered prayer! We were on I-70 in relatively open space when suddenly, we heard a loud POP. What was that? Almost immediately, we watched a crack creep across the top of our windshield. This felt like small potatoes compared to the past few days. “We’ll have a deductible, but we’re fine,” said Don. I agreed. The rest of the drive was peaceful. Thank you, God, for ease of traffic, safety on the roads, no severe damage, and good car insurance.
Trifecta Event #3 — God Knows All Ahead of Time and Satisfies our Every Need!
The Friday drive from Limon, Colorado, to home was uneventful. Per the doctor’s orders, we stopped every hour or so to stretch our legs and for me to walk a few minutes. We also laughed that more than one doctor or nurse told me I could tell everyone back home I had slept in Aspen’s most expensive overnight spot and purchased the most costly souvenir bracelet available in the town! There is always a silver lining if you look for it.
We walked into the house at 5:30 pm to the sound of water running! Yes, a tiny nut on the water supply line in our main floor half bath had burst; we had a fountain of water squirting upward and splashing in all directions. The bathroom and adjoining hall carpet were soaked. Water seeped down the pipes and through the floor downstairs. We found ourselves in a rain shower. The unfinished basement had standing water, spreading under the stairs storage area and into the finished portion of the basement. As we squished across the hallway, bedroom, bedroom closet, and family room, we knew this job needed more than all our fans and shop vacs put together! More quick thinking. More clarity of mind. Thanks in part to homeowners’ insurance and the expertise of trained professionals, we quickly began the task of drying out and replacing the flooring. Thank you, God, for clear thinking and the assurance that you know all — even before we are aware of it.
My Trifecta of God’s Faithfulness
1. Praise God for no full-blown stroke, for skilled health care professionals, and for His comfort while maneuvering the unknown.
2. Praise God for help through traffic, no severe damage from the rock, and for the finances to have good car insurance!
3. Praise God for the presence of mind to deal with the water, for helping Don recall contact information for a restoration company from years ago, and for the company’s ability to show up the very next day—on a weekend!
4. Praise God for favor with every examiner and worker who has been in and out of our house the past two weeks.
5. And, praise God for opportunities to share about His love with more than one of the workers. It is heartwarming to see how God paves the way to share His love and faithfulness!
And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
How do you see God moving to meet all your needs? Begin a running list of both the small things and the biggies.
Delve Deeper: The Bible doesn’t guarantee a life without problems. Yet the Bible does promise God will never leave us nor forsake us. Memorize Lamentations 3:22—24.