Just Another Day That the Lord Has Kept Me
By Sister Gloria Ballinger
On Tuesday, January 15, 2016, I was scheduled off from my job and Prayer and Bible Band service at Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ usually starts at 7:30pm. On my mind before leaving the house was the song, “Just Another Day that the Lord Has Kept Me.” The weather that day was cold and raining. My routine is to get the bus by 6:45pm. While walking to the bus stop, I noticed that the sidewalk was broken apart so I walked to the left side of the curb when all of a sudden… BOOM! I was hit by an oncoming car!
I was turned completely around and fell to the curb. A car sped by me as I tried to get up. Still, the oncoming traffic was approaching me. Totally shocked by what just happened, I managed to walk over to a vacant parking lot while holding my left arm. It felt like it was on fire and throbbing. A car came in the parking lot, though, it wasn’t the car that had just hit me. Then, a second car pulled up into the adjacent parking lot and the passengers approached me where I was and told me, “We didn’t see you! We hit you!! Do you want to go to the hospital?”
“The hospital? What?!” I replied. “I’m going to church! My bus is right there.”
“No!” they told me. “We’re taking you to church.”
So I agreed to get in their car and called Pastor Pruitte. “I just got hit by a car,” I told him. “I’m on my way to the church.”
Pastor Pruitte asked me where I was and told me that I needed to go to the hospital. I told Pastor I was already in the church parking lot. Pastor came out of the church, still talking to me on the phone, and the people got of the car and began talking to Pastor. Afterwards, Pastor and Deacon Howard went to the hospital with me.
Pastor Pruitte and Deacon Howard knew what to do. I was still in shock! The incident to this day is nothing short of a miracle. I sustained NO broken bones and NO head injuries! By the way, I did finally get to prayer that night. Another song on my mind was:
Somebody prayed for me, had me on their mind
Took the time to pray for me.
I’m so glad they prayed, I’m so glad they prayed,
I’m so glad they prayed for me.
I thank the Lord for my Holiness Tabernacle family, and I’m truly grateful. As a reminder, Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”
From the first start of my journey that day and through my recovery process, our 2016 theme at Holiness Tabernacle Church is “We Confess, We Believe, We Stand on the Word of God” and that is truly my testimony!