I Found God on the Highway at Dawn

5:30 a.m. Passenger’s seat. Cruising down the freeway. Music ringing in my ears. City lights and headlights contrasting the dark.

And a faint light behind the clouds to show that the sun was slowly beginning to rise.

I was on the highway at dawn, headed to another school for an early-morning cross-country race. I felt the usual pressure, the usual anxiety about the race, and then…

I said a prayer in my head.

Just a quick prayer for peace.

And I felt this sensation of calmness wash over me. It was like I could finally catch my breath again after sprinting down a winding, endless road called Life.

It was a peace that I really can’t explain. I sat there in the passenger’s seat, letting the sweet lyrics flow into my ears as I watched the city’s lights pass by in a blur of color. I sat there, and I felt the peace that only God can bring. 

I found God on the highway at dawn.

And you can find God anytime, anywhere. He’s always listening. He’s always ready for you to open up your heart to Him. And He’s always waiting to hear your concerns.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

~1 Peter 5:7, NIV

He wants you to cast down your anxieties so you can run free.

But He doesn’t want you to try to fling your anxieties off to the side. He doesn’t want you to try to leave them on the edge of the beaten path as you, beaten and weary, try to keep running on.

He wants you to cast your anxieties on Him.

He’s holding the whole world in His hands. He’s holding you in His hands. And He wants to hold your anxieties, too.

The thing about anxieties is that they have a way of lingering. It’s hard to get rid of them (and I know from experience).

But you can cast your anxieties into the hands of your Father who cares. Cast them into His hands—He’s waiting for you at the foot of the cross.

He’s always waiting for you to cast your anxieties on Him in prayer.

And there’s something beautiful about coming to God in prayer. Prayer opens up a door in my heart that I try to keep shut. Prayer reveals the raw parts of my heart that I try to keep hidden. And prayer aligns my heart with the heart of my Father.

Prayer opens up a door in my heart that I try to keep shut. Prayer reveals the raw parts of my heart that I try to keep hidden. And prayer aligns my heart with the heart of my Father.

And that’s what’s so powerful about prayer. It reminds you that God is there on the highway at dawn. It reminds that you that He’s there at any time, in any place, wherever you are on life’s road.

Even in the traffic of a bustling city freeway you can find yourself feeling alone. But when you pray, you’re reminded that you’re never really alone in your corner of the universe.

You have a Father who is always ready to listen.

God, fill with me with the peace that only You can give.