Last weekend I came outside to see that two cars in our adjoining side road had had their windows bricked in and others had been damaged. We are not in a rough area for car crime so I was quite surprised. Later, on Sunday afternoon I found out what had happened.

We have had some building work done this past few weeks (months!) and had some bricks and rubbish on our driveway awaiting a skip delivery. A group of drunken youths had entered the road and found the driveway had some “interesting” things on it. They had picked up some bricks and smashed two cars then damaged two others. (Adding to the ten cars they had already smashed up in Hope Road using other things they could find.) Unbeknown to them they were being watched by my next-door- neighbour who is a policeman. He called for back up and then went out in his pyjamas and arrested the girl he had seen bricking the cars. His wife (rather anxiously) also watched one of the young people throw a brick at one of our downstairs windows. She heard it make contact but did not hear the sound of anything smashing. They checked that our car was not damaged and so did not wake us up. We did not hear a thing, having had a rough night with Esther teething and sleeping whilst we could…

As we were chatting the following day and my neighbours were telling me their story, I asked them into the garden to see if we could find the brick or any signs of damage.
There were none. We did find half a brick on the path outside the garden.

They were intrigued. I told them that our house has been prayed over and that maybe the brick bounced off our (only remaining) single-glazed window. They looked a little disbelieving. But then they remarked about how their daughter, who I had prayed for last week after a suspected broken finger, had not had a break after all.

We looked again. But there was no evidence of damage anywhere. The youths came on to our driveway but did not attack our car. Why not? They did everyone else’s!

I think we were protected from something this weekend. I think Angels were guarding us.

We are told when we become Christians “In this world you WILL have trouble..” We are not immune from it. I am currently nursing a very sick little boy whose immune system has taken a battering after developing an allergic reaction to a virus. Sam is covered in a horrid rash and had nasty hives all day yesterday. Sometimes things like this happen…

BUT we are also told that we are protected by angels and by our Heavenly Father. He is always looking after us and looking out for us.
Nothing that happens to us is a surprise to Him or forces His hand.

Perhaps God knew that having smashed windows and a broken car was one thing I couldn’t have handled this week, on top of poorly children, so He graciously stood in the way to prevent it?

I won’t know this side of heaven, but I certainly think it has given me an interesting discussion with my lovely neighbours next door. As a thank you present I gave them a copy of my CD and our pastor Anthony’s new book ” Diamond Geezers” which is a brilliant read. So who knows what will come of a few young people wilfully destroying other people’s property? Perhaps another Diamond Geezer?

Heaven knows.