A friend of mine bought a new Tesla and took me for a spin this week. "Spin," did you say? Actually the more appropriate, accurate word is "G-force." I wasn't prepared for this new electric car's phenomenal acceleration. He (the owner) waited to get a clear straight stretch of road—and then without warning slammed the "pedal to the metal." In that split second my stomach was pinned to my spine! No kidding. We're talking—accelerate! One G is the force of earth's gravity. "At 5 Gs, a driver experiences a force equal to five times his weight. For instance, during a 5-G turn, there are 60 to 70 pounds of force pulling his head to the side" (science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/question633.htm). We must have been at 100 Gs. Just kidding.

But when he pulled off the road so I could drive, I decided "pedal to the metal" is the motto of the day! His nervous laugh a few seconds later indicated I had found the sweet spot as we flew back onto the highway. I've never ridden in a car with so rapid an acceleration. What a feeling! No sound to the engine—nothing but the quiet whir of an electric motor with no gears to shift through—just continuous, pure acceleration.

Kind of like the rather stunning acceleration we've been witnesses to these last few weeks. Acceleration of headlines, of trends, of reversals, of sudden swerves to the right, to the left, to the who knows where. Somebody clearly has his "pedal to the metal."

"'But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short'" (Revelation 12:12).

How many spiritual G-forces are wrapped up in that terse declaration? Dark, evil acceleration.

"While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Just a friendly reminder that life as we know it long ago fled the scene. What we're left with is what we're living right now. Which means you and I do well to live with an attitude of continual expectation. Our friend Noah couldn't offer the scoffers a calendar of endgame moves. All he had was the word of God echoing in his soul. And an accelerating sense in his gut that life as they knew it was nearing its end. With little warning. Catastrophically.

"But don't be afraid" is the quiet assurance of the Christ who walks ahead of His followers, who leads the accelerating way of His friends. "'When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!'" (Luke 21:28 Message)

Help—not just for the endgame—but help for the G-forces of life that pin us to uncertainty. Given the acceleration of late, every day is a good day to pull off to the side of the road with Him: "When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, 'Be still, and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10" (Desire of Ages 363).

Not sure how to connect? Find your  simple how-to at www.pmchurch.org/newwaytopray. And let Jesus be the One to "put the pedal to the metal" for you.