Epiphany for a Sorrowing Soul and a Waiting Angel

By A. Stanley Higgins

            In my long walk with Jesus, I’ve received countless blessings.  They appear almost every day.  At times, though, He seems to be sending me something special to bolster my faith.  Here are two examples:

            The first took place in the early ’70s when my father died.  Through the grace of God he passed away while my wife Jean and I, along with our children David and Ann, were in Chattanooga on vacation.  (My older daughter, Jeanie, was at work back in Pittsburgh.) As a matter of fact, Pops was sitting between me and David on the living-room sofa when he died.  It was on Monday or Tuesday.  The funeral was set for Friday, and all that week there had been a steady rain, adding to the gloom of this trying time.  On Friday morning I awoke to a bright sunny day – a gift that recalled the Resurrection of Jesus.  To me the day became uplifting.  It was evidence of the Savior, the Light of the World, welcoming our beloved Pops.  A well-known hymn of Beethoven came to mind:       

                        Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,           

                        God of glory, Lord of love;

                        Hearts unfold like flowers before thee,

                        Praising thee, their sun above.

                        Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;

                        Drive the dark of doubt away;

                        Giver of immortal gladness,

                        Fill us with the light of day.

            The second instance took place in Pittsburgh, some years later, and relates to my belief in angels.  Many people, I have found, don’t believe in angels since they haven’t recognized them.  Mine appeared on a busy day when I was driving to the Pittsburgh Airport bound for an important meeting in Atlanta.  A paralyzing traffic jam occurred on the Parkway, the main artery from the eastern suburbs, just before it goes through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.  Fortunately, I was at a point in the jam where I was able to get off at the Squirrel Hill exit, but when I did I was hopelessly lost.  As I came to the first traffic light I noticed a young man standing on the shoulder.  When I asked directions, he said he was headed to a school located near the exit on the other side of the tunnel, so he jumped in and guided me.  His school was only a half-mile from that exit, and he pointed the way.

            Was that a coincidence?  No, I believe the Lord had dispatched an angel to get me to my very important meeting.  It concerned the final run-through on a large technical proposal to the Department of Energy by Westinghouse and Georgia Tech.  It was a wonderful blessing for me.