April 10th 2010 my dad (Greg Werner) and I were having a normal day and a normal drive. While we were traveling down the road everything changed and that normal day now seemed like a nightmare.
A tire came off a pickup truck driving down the highway the opposite direction and hit the side of our vehicle. As many know the story of what happened you may not know my story. I would like to tell you...
It was a normal Saturday and my dad and I had much to do. We were driving down the highway when all before I could even blink our lives changed forever. I remember seeing a tire coming directly at our vehicle. I remember it hitting our car and hearing the glass shatter then I came to an unconscious state. I vaguely remember opening my eyes in the ambulance that was taking me to OU Presbyterian. I forgot what all had happened and I thought to myself, "This is a dream". When I have a bad dream what I normally do is try to stay still and let the dream play through. Because I thought this was all a dream, I stayed still and tried to let it play through. This, I believe, was the peace of God. I remember them pushing me down a hall in the hospital to the ER room where they would be doing further work on me. I remember hearing my brother’s voice and saying, "Jon, is that you?" and him replying, "Yes Justin, you're going to be okay." While they were working on me a nurse asked me a few questions. A few questions down the list she asked me, "Were you driving the car?" and I replied, "No.....my dad was." At that point I remembered my dad was in the car with me. I became nervous and my heart sank and I asked, "How is my dad?" the nurse said, "I don't know, he's in God's hands." A doctor not telling me that my dad was even alive or dead, but rather "In God's hand's" made me scared of what I later might hear, but at the same time it brought me peace, because that's when I knew God would help me get through not only what the future was going to hold, but more that very second..then the next second...then the next minute.
There's much more details to this story, but I would like to stop there and tell you about what God has done for ME through all this turmoil and what he offers to do for YOU.
In the hospital I slept most of the day every day; therefore, I wasn't too anxious about anything that was going on. That was the blessing and peace of God.
Let's skip forward to me staying at the Myers house after I was released from the hospital. [Let me say one thing; there are no words to express my gratitude for my second family’s (the Myers) love toward me. They took me in as I was there own child and provided everything I needed. I pray blessings from Heaven for ALL of the Myers.] At times when I was living at the Myers, I began to realize the HUGE road for recovery that was ahead for me, but specifically for my dad. "Why is all of this happening to me and my family? Why would God allow all of this to happen? Why is my mentor, coach, and dad in a coma? Why me?" These were my selfish thoughts I had...until I got passed that selfishness and focused on the Cause of Christ. My brother Brandon preached a message on the Cause of Christ. The One True Cause. The Cause that kept my family focused. The Cause to tell the people that are destined for Hell about Jesus Christ and His redeeming power.
Before I heard Brandon preach that message on the Cause of Christ, I could feel personally that I had that indescribable focus on the Cause. I remember riding home with Rachel Myers one Wednesday night when I lived at their house and as I passed a basketball court where many guys were playing ball. I had a heart for them that I don't think I ever would have if this "turmoil" hadn’t happened. I said to Rachel, "See those guys playing basketball? If I don't tell them about Jesus and His saving grace, will they go to Hell for eternity? Will they ever hear about Christ?" At the time, I didn't know the Cause was so strong in my immediate family, but I knew I had a heart for the lost that was stronger in my life than it ever had been. And all the “turmoil” I thought I was having, seemed so miniscule after thinking that people could suffer in Hell forever.
Brandon said in his message that he could see that the Cause was going throughout the entire family the day of the car accident and the day after that…and the days after that, and that Cause is what kept them going. That Cause was also keeping me going even if I didn’t know exactly what was. That Cause is the one thing I knew for sure God was calling me to fulfill (Matthew 28:16-20). It was the number one thing that kept me pushing through, and it was the one thing I knew was in God's plan.
One day I wrote this in my journal while I was lying in the hospital bed:
“Because of how God had His hand on me and protected me from death, God must have a plan. God must have purpose for my life. He must have a big and mighty plan in store for me. What is that plan? How do I find out? How do I know what direction to take after I find out? What happens if I never find out?
These are all very difficult questions to answer and I wouldn’t be the least surprised if I didn’t have answers by the end of today. However, I do know God has a plan for me and He will reveal it at His time…the best time. I also know that God has called me to fulfill the Great Commission: Go into the world and make disciples of all nations. So that’s a really good start. That’s what I can do. I can reach the lost. That’s what I’m here for. That’s what God is calling me to do. God has a might plan for you too! You may say, “Well I haven’t been in a bad car wreck like you. I’m not a walking miracle like you are.” No! That’s a lie. Look at yourself. Think about how you entered this world. Think about how you can walk, talk, move your fingers, build muscle, eat, drink, and so many more amazing things. You ARE a walking miracle. God does have purpose for your life! You just have to constantly ask Him what His purpose is. And he will reveal it to you. That’s just how God is!”
Justin Werner
4-24-10
2 Week anniversary of wreck
God showed me that he does have a plan and I just got to trust Him. One way God confirmed to me that he does have a plan is when I read back on that day in my journal, on the page I was writing on, the scripture that was printed on the top left corner of the page was Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
How better way that God show me that He has a plan then to point me to His own word the day I write about God having a plan! If you don't think God is alive...you're wrong.
I would like to end this story by telling you how God changed my life 3 weeks before the wreck.
I believe I was saved from Hell when I was 7 years old; however, I don't believe I understood what it meant to fully trust in God and to make Jesus the boss of my life.
After a YOUGROW one Monday night God really convicted me of many sins that were in my life. I confessed those sins to my dad and we had a great spiritual talk that night in our living room. That night, kneeling on our living room floor, with tears pouring out of my eyes and sweat coming off my face, I didn't ask God to just save me from Hell as I did when I was 7, but I begged Jesus to be the boss of my life and I told Him that whatever happens I would TRUST IN HIM. God changed my life that night.
Because I believe in my heart that Jesus is real and I asked Him to be the boss of my life, and because I trust in Him as my savior, I know I am going to Heaven when I die. When the wreck happened, I knew that I was going to Heaven if I died.
In the moment the tire hit our car, I didn't even have time to blink, let alone ask God to save me from my sins. So YOU got to be sure you are a Christian because you never know when your life could end. I never thought any of this would truly happen, but if it did, like it did, I was (and I am) prepared for any trial or even death. My dad always says, "The blessings of God is a man's greatest asset." God has blessed me so much in so many ways, but the number one blessing is the assurance of salvation.
Because Jesus came to this earth as a man then died on a cross and took our sins, and finally rose from the dead to free us of our sin, we can be saved and go to Heaven when we die. It's this easy: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
If we had to pay a 10th percent of the bills our insurance has covered we would be bankrupt; therefore, I believe very strongly that you should have life insurance. Believing in Jesus Christ as your savior and making Him your boss is the ultimate life insurance… and a major blessing is it’s free for our grabs. If you don’t have Him, you will suffer in Hell for eternity. So pray and ask God to be your boss and trust in God no matter what. Follow Romans 10:9 and be saved!
That’s what God did for me, and that’s what he promises to do for you! Just believe.
This free gift of salvation is your choice. You can take it or leave it…what is your choice?
If you care to read this, this is a poem I wrote the night I made Jesus my boss:
My God, My Lord. To You I owe it all.
You saved me, You redeemed me,
Through Your grace and love You changed me.
I once was lost, was living in darkness.
I couldn’t find the light my soul longed to see.
Choices I chose, deliberately despising Christ;
My God stilled loved me,
My savior to all be praised.
My hope and life to Thee I give.
Willingly choosing to follow You.
Your Spirit always by my side, I chose to follow you.
I give my pleasures, friends, and desires;
I give my pride to follow You.
You saved me from my deepest struggles,
All I have I give to You.
Jesus, my Lord, I pray to receive You.
Your Kingdom shall come, Your will shall be done.
The worldly pleasure all forsaken,
You I search, want, and find!
The things I wanted; I didn’t do,
the things I didn’t want, I did.
Yet You still loved me and You changed me . . .
Praise be to You.
Your love is unconditional, unchangeable; unstoppable . . .
To You I owe it all.
