“The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Psalm 34:7
We had planned our traditional Saturday evening After Christmas but Before New Year's Get-together at our home and expected approximately 9 to 10 church members to show up. Because it was wintertime, we purchased an outdoor patio heater to keep the patio warm. We also decided to use our fire pit for making s’mores. The buffet consisted of homemade vegetarian chili, rolls, assorted drinks, and pastries. The night’s festivities included playing Pictionary in the small space in our family room.
Now, the outdoor patio heater had just recently been assembled and had been tested a couple of times before the event. Once the propane tank was connected, it worked perfectly each time.
On the day of the party, the outdoor heater and the fire pit were moved so that they were adjacent to the glass door and the 9-foot patio window in the family room. Once all of the guests arrived, I turned on the outdoor heater so that they could enjoy the view as they sat around socializing. After a little while, I noticed that the heater had gone out, so I went back outside and fired it up, and the heat started again. Within a few minutes, I saw that the heater had gone out again. Try as I might, it would not start up at all. Seeing that it would not come on, we moved on with just the fire pit, which was in front of the double glass doors, and everyone had a good time.
The next day, upon investigation, I smelled propane gas leaking from the tank attached to the outdoor heater. I immediately unhooked the tank, tightened the valve shut, and placed it in the car, intending to take it back to the store and exchange it for a new one. After a few minutes, I entered the vehicle, immediately noticing the strong smell of propane gas. I now realized the tank was leaking.
While on the way home after returning the defective propane tank, I reflected on what could have happened the previous evening. It was definitely a recipe for disaster! We had an unknown leaking propane tank sitting next to an open flame fire pit in front of glass doors and a massive picture window. Also, I had been working repeatedly to start it up again. The Lord God had mercifully protected me, our guests, and our home. I had a visual image running through my mind of the possible outcome from which God had protected us.
Call to Action
Praise God! He surely watches over His children. Unawares, the angels of God had protected us. Psalm 91:11 says, “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
