Thank God for What Never Happened

Have you ever looked back on your life and realized how many dangerous situations could have ended differently? God’s protection is not always something we recognize in the moment. Sometimes, we only see His guiding hand years later when we consider the accidents, harmful encounters, and unexpected dangers that never became part of our story. Second Thessalonians 3:3 reminds us that the Lord is faithful, strengthening and protecting His people from evil.

While the reality of evil and the uncertainty of life can make it easy to worry about what might happen, God does not want us to live consumed by fear and anxiety. We can trust His sovereignty, rest in His presence, and thank Him for the ways He has protected us—even when we were unaware of the danger. Reflecting on God's faithfulness helps us develop a deeper sense of gratitude, recognize His care throughout our lives, and find peace in knowing that our safety ultimately rests in Him.

Highlights

• How looking back on past experiences can reveal God's unseen protection.

• Why we can thank God for dangers, accidents, and harmful situations that never happened.

• What 2 Thessalonians 3:3 teaches us about God's faithfulness and protection from evil.

• How the reality of evil can create anxiety if we focus too much on what could happen.

• Why we should trust God more than human circumstances or the promises of others.

• How Psalm 4:8 reminds us that we can rest peacefully because the Lord makes us dwell in safety.

• How recognizing God's protection can deepen our gratitude, strengthen our faith, and help us live without fear.

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Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

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Full Transcript Below:

Thank God for What Never Happened

By Melinda Eye Cooper

Bible Reading: 

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. - 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

I like true crime shows. But only if the perpetrator is caught by the end of the program. 

Honestly, I wrestled with this about myself for a while. Why? What exactly is it that I like about horrible things happening and criminals getting busted? And it boils down to one word. Justice. 

I believe in justice. 

These days, advances in forensic science make it possible to solve very old, cold cases. 

An investigative genetic genealogist can figure out whose DNA belongs to through family trees. A perpetrator can be caught by DNA he left behind before most of us even knew what DNA was. I imagine some criminals are shaking in their boots knowing they could get busted any day for something they did thirty years ago. 

Still, justice can take many years.  

So, as I watch true crime shows and see how these poor folks ran into people with evil intent, I see how easily I could have been one of the victims because I’ve also found myself in many of the scenarios.

Back before cell phones and the internet, we crossed our fingers and said a prayer that we’d get wherever we were going. Once, when I was eighteen, driving home from closing a fast-food restaurant at one a.m., the alternator went out in my car. I coasted, with dimming lights, into a local cemetery entrance while my car slowly died.

Soon, a truck pulled up, and a strange man offered me assistance. Nervous, I declined and bolted across the street to a nearby house, banging on the door until an elderly lady finally answered. Thankfully, she allowed me to use her phone to call home, and soon my dad showed up, much to my relief. 

That’s just one of many precarious situations I found myself in my youth. 

The older and wiser I become, the more I know God has had me in His protection without a doubt. And I’m sure I’m not aware of many dangerous situations where He’s kept me safe without my knowledge.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

The truth is, not only are we subject to human nature, our own and others', but also forces of evil that would like nothing more than to cause us harm. But we could easily become full of anxiety if we allow thoughts of “what could happen” to overwhelm us. God doesn’t want us living in fear or anxiety.

We’re reminded in the Psalms:

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. - Psalm 4:8 NIV

God is with us. He’s protecting us, and He alone is making us dwell in safety. 

Sadly, people can do some awful things to other people. And we should never trust another person the way we trust God. Evil is real. The demonic spiritual realm is real. 

But so is God. And He’s sovereign, faithful, and trustworthy. 

Looking back through the lens of our youth, we’ll see God’s protective hands covering us more times than we can count or even imagine. The things He protected us from have allowed us to move forward and live the life He has for us. 

A good life. 

We may not make the connection of His protection until many years later. But He has us tight in His grip. If God allows us to experience something good or bad, there’s purpose. And He uses those things for our good, one way or another. He strengthens us as we walk with Him. He loves us more than we can comprehend and has our best interest at heart.

Throughout our lives, we might get a tiny glimpse of just how much God must love us to give His only Son to pay the price for our sin. Though we can never truly grasp the depth of His great love. We know He has good plans for our lives, and His protection is part of those plans. 

Knowing it could have easily been us but wasn’t makes us grateful for His protection and guidance.

And truly thankful for things that never happened.

Father, thank You for protecting me even when I didn’t realize the danger in my midst. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

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