One beautiful Tennessee morning in fall 2001 my parents and I encountered something unusual on the highway heading toward Clarksville. Through the peripheral vision in my right eye I saw something speeding past us. It maneuvered forward, then into our lane, then back into the right lane and disappeared. This 18-wheeler with a flatbed hauling a long stainless steel cylindrical tank was on a mission.
Despite the speed at which it traveled, we couldn’t have missed the bold message written on the back and sides: JESUS IS THE ANSWER! I hollered, “Look! Look at that!” Tears filled my eyes. Stunned silence filled the car. I already knew that Jesus had all the answers, but the Father wanted me to know that Jesus was, is, and always would be THE answer . . . to everything. It was as if He was saying, “Pay attention! You’re gonna need this!” He certainly was right about that. I desperately need Him.
• John 14:6 — ‘Jesus answered,’ I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• John 14:13 — And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father (emphasis added).
“Where did that thing come from and where was it going?” we mused. Was it part of some big tent revival somewhere? Or was it someone’s clever way of proclaiming the ultimate truth to U.S. drivers? No other writing or identification appeared on that semi. It sped past so quickly we couldn’t read the license plate, but I wondered if it might have read, “Angel at the Wheel.” I still imagine it racing by like it was on its way to heaven, or on a mission to get another soul saved. Whatever the case, and whoever the driver — angel or not — I’ll never forget that sight.
JESUS IS THE ANSWER! Those words were burned indelibly on my mind. Their truth holds everything together when life tosses treachery my way. To whom do you turn when storms rage around you? There’s only one answer. On that day, it was larger than life.
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Over the years, in addition to regular soul-cleansing journaling, Laura Firtko has written for the Azusa Pacific University campus newspaper The Clause; World Vision Public/Media Relations department; Focus on the Family Brio, Breakaway, Clubhouse, and Youthwalk magazines; and she currently writes a weekly blog column for PWOC.ORG titled Life Happens – Jesus Answers which posts on Thursdays.
