Out Our Way: Of crickets and meadowlarks - Matthew 28:18-20

Out our way, nature speaks clearly to those who listen. But sometimes we hear "crickets" when God is sending us "meadowlarks."  

I have shared this event before, when coming back from a meeting in Colorado, I was making my way home to rural Wyoming when a winter storm overtook me. I had made the turn off I-25 north of Cheyenne and was driving the final 92 miles along a two-lane road through rural eastern Wyoming when the blizzard caught me. Unbeknownst to me, shortly after I had made the turn off, the Wyoming State Patrol closed the road at both ends. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing this and so I was alone in the storm on a very isolated road.

The blizzard was bad and visibility extremely poor, but the worst was yet to come because the car began to lose power. For the next hour and a half and without seeing another vehicle, house, or living creature, I found my speed dropping from 55 to 35 to 25 - and, eventually, barely 5 mph. The snow began to slack off, but all my increased visibility revealed was miles and miles of snow covered prairie and sandhills. "I am going to die out here," I thought; for it was winter, I was alone, and my car was dying in the vast "Wyo-Braska" emptiness. "Where are you God?"

And all I heard was "crickets"... i.e., silence.)

Then suddenly I topped a hill and saw at the bottom the Bear Mountain Conoco store. I was down to about 3 mph by this time, but it was downhill and I began to pick up speed. I think I managed to get up to 8 mph due to gravity, and I rolled into the station. There the engine died and would not start again. But there were lights on in the station and I was only 50 feet from the door. I opened the car door, still shaky, when the clouds began to part and sunshine appeared. But even better, at that moment a meadowlark sang. Then another - and another and yet another! I had never heard so many singing at the same time - and as I listened, my soul began to sing as well. I knew these were not mere meadowlarks but the Voice of God.

"Oh ye of little faith ... did I not tell you I was with you always?" 

For 92 miles of terror I heard only "crickets" when the meadowlarks were tuning up. A few years ago, the less-than-reputable property management company suddenly issued an "Eviction without Cause," which under Colorado Law is perfectly legal, and gave me 13 days to vacate. They filed the order earlier, but delayed sending the notice a few days so the 13 days ended up being about five. Yet, within a day, a small house in a great neighborhood popped up that was within our price range and offered us far more than we had at the apartment complex.

Like most folks, there have been times when I have cried out to God and thought I only heard "crickets" - but there have been times when the meadowlarks sang. Sometimes you just have to keep listening. 

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Brother John

--

The Rev. John Bruington is the retired pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Havre. He now lives in Colorado, but continues to write "Out Our Way."