Psalm 71:6

  I am sustained from birth.
  "By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You." NKJV
  "Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother's womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!" JCB

  There have been many near misses in my life. You know, the kind where a millisecond means the difference between living and having life snatched away.
  I suppose the circumstances around my conception was a near miss as well. Would it have been easier for my birth mother to have obtained an abortion rather than carry me to term? Even though it was the 1960's? She chose to give me life.
  Despite all that has taken place, despite my challenges and struggles, I am grateful for the gift of life. Without life, I would not have known the joy of the Lord.

  Near misses...
  Travelling with a friend, a new and nervous driver, when the windshield wiper on her battered, aged car flew off. The distraction, the driving rain...the missed stop sign...we flew through an intersection. Neither of us saw the truck but we heard him roar past, laying on his horn...milliseconds. Thank You, Lord, for watching over us.

  The tractor close calls on the farm...the baler was too heavy. It started to pull me back down a hill. A roll over imminent. A heart pounding milliseconds gave me time to wrestle the whole thing around so my nose pointed safely down hill.
  I had been aware the hill was too steep but was pressured into getting the sparse blades of hay from the top. That concern was justified because the next farmer to work the field avoided that entire area. At that time in my life, refusal was not an option. Thank You, Lord, I have come such a long way since then!
  The day the PTO shaft jammed and broke free, spinning wildly under the momentum of the baler's power wheel. Milliseconds made the difference between the heavy metal guard being jammed instead of being a missile that would have taken my head off at the shoulders. Thank You, Lord, for honouring the prayers for safety of a seeker who had yet to embrace Your love.
  Next to crab fishing in the Bering Sea, farming is the most dangerous occupation on the planet. Thank You, Lord, for keeping me safe around the equipment and around the animals.

  Pulling out onto the road in New Zealand after trying to find a place to stay. Fatigue made me forget to drive on the other side. The oncoming car swerved. Milliseconds from a head on collision. I can still see the surprised and frightened expression on the driver's face. Thankfully, I only had to travel up the next driveway to find accommodation. Even if there wasn't space, I'd have slept in the car. Thank You, Lord, for the quick reflexes of the other driver.

  I may not have had a personal connection with Jesus when these things happened (except in New Zealand). And some of these events are ancient history. Still, it's amazing to look back at these incidents (and others) to realize the Lord allowed me to live according to His purpose for my life.
  It's also humbling to think, at various points in my life, I may have played a role in someone else's life saving milliseconds without even being aware of it.
  What value lay in a life! All life!
  Thank You, Lord, with every millisecond bringing me closer to the day I come home to You, You are keeping watch. Thank You, that in You, I have grown to realize just how precious life is. AMEN!