Protected in the Night
Nov 17, 2025 — by Bonnie Moore
🌿 A Night I Will Not Forget
At approximately 3:45 on the morning of November 17th, I awoke to something no one expects to hear in the stillness of night —
an explosion.
The shock, the confusion, the rush to the front door…
and then the terrible sight of flames rising from my neighbor’s barn, lighting up the darkness like a signal flare against the sky.
In those first moments, all a person can think is, “Lord, let everyone be safe.”
And by the mercies of God — they were.
Every animal inside was rescued.
Every person who ran toward the flames was spared.
Not a single life was lost.
When the dawn finally came, my heart settled into one overwhelming thought:
“Great is His faithfulness… this morning and every morning.”
🌿 A Fearful Thought Before the Relief
Before we knew what was burning, my heart sank with a terrible fear.
For a moment, I believed it was the home of another neighbor — an elderly couple we care for deeply — and I worried that they had perished in the explosion.
Those first minutes felt long and heavy.
When Troy and I stepped out into the driveway and saw the flames through the trees, we could not yet tell what we were looking at.
Only the orange glow, the smoke, and the uncertainty.
But then clarity came.
We realized it was not their home at all —
it was the barn.
And just moments later, a text… and then a call…
“We are safe.”
The relief washed over me like cool water.
It is a mercy I will not forget.
This is where thanksgiving rises from a deeper place —
from the fear that was and the rescue that came.
📖 Scripture of Thanksgiving
Psalm 94:19 (NKJV)
“In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.”
Psalm 121:7–8 (NKJV)
“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil…”
🕊️ Thanksgiving in the Wake of Fire
Today my gratitude is simple and deep:
- Thankful for God’s hand of protection.
- Thankful for neighbors who acted swiftly and bravely.
- Thankful for animals spared from harm.
- Thankful that what could have been tragedy became instead a reminder of mercy.
- Thankful that the Lord neither sleeps nor slumbers, even when the rest of us do.
Sometimes thanksgiving isn’t soft or sentimental.
Sometimes it rises out of smoke, adrenaline, and trembling hands.
Sometimes thanksgiving is simply this:
“Lord, thank You… You preserved us.”
🧡 Prayer of Thanks
Father, thank You for being our refuge in the night and our strength in the morning. Thank You for Your watchful care over every life, for Your mercies that arrive with each sunrise, and for the unseen protection You give even when we are unaware of danger. May our hearts stay tender, grateful, and mindful of Your presence always. Amen.
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