“The hillside path which they were following became narrower all the time and the drop on their right hand became steeper. At last they were going in single file along the edge of the precipice and Shasta shuddered to think that he had done the same last night without knowing it. ‘But of course,’ he thought, ‘I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time.'” (from The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis)
Yesterday I felt the Lion on my left.
I was on my way to church to meet my husband. I was in the process of making a left turn to go up the road that leads to our church when my van was hit by another vehicle from behind. The force of impact sent my van up the hill – not on the road, but on its own path up the side through the grass.
It all happened so fast.
I remember seeing a telephone pole in front of me and turning the steering wheel to miss that pole.
The van continued up the hill.
“You’re still in control of this van. You haven’t crashed. Watch out!”
Another telephone pole. I missed that one, too.
“Your foot is still on the gas! Hit the brake!”
I slammed on the brake, causing the van to stop a few feet in front of the tree that was directly in my path.
I was safe.
Later, I was able to go back and follow the tracks that my van had made up the hill. Amazingly, I had missed a hole in the ground and two telephone poles that, had I hit any of them, would have caused the van to flip. Amazingly, my foot had stayed on the gas pedal long enough to get my van up the hill, and then I had been able to hit the brake at just the right moment. Amazingly, no one was hurt.
But even more amazing is the peace that I felt as the accident was happening. I was not alone in that van. The Lion was between me and the edge all the time.
My story has a happy ending. When I celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I will do so with extreme gratitude for life itself.
But even if my story had a different ending, even if I would have crashed and been sent to the hospital, I know that I would still be safe. The Lord would still be with me, walking beside me, helping me deal with whatever the outcome, staying between me and the edge.
The lion is with us through every steep precipice of life, and, it is in the scary, out-of-control moments when we can feel His presence the most.
What edge are you walking close to right now?
Is your life spiraling out of control? Do you feel like you could crash at any moment? Do you wonder how much longer you can keep your hands on the steering wheel and your foot on the gas?
The lion is with you!
Let Him walk beside you . . . let Him give you His peace . . . trust Him to always be there no matter what the outcome. Trust Him to stay between you and the edge.
Life will not always be easy. Not every story on this earth has a happy ending. In fact, life can be messy, ugly, and dangerous.
But the Lion is with us through it all.
Lean on His presence. Let Him be your peace. Know that you are not alone in the van.
And then, no matter what happens, you will be quite safe.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b)
Cheri Gamble 
Thanks for sharing your story. The Lord certainly provided with His presence.