He didn’t have to…
A year ago we prayerfully bought my current work car after I totalled my Celica in a snowstorm last January. We bought low so we could do any needed repairs on our “new” car with 150,000 miles on it and not have to borrow at all. So far it’s it’s served me well.
This week we’ve been (what’s the word?) “blessed with?” no…
“overtaken by ?” maybe…
This week we’ve been “subjected to” (there it is) sub-zero temps for several days in a row. Ours is a single-car garage so my car sleeps outside. I have to leave the house early on Monday mornings and this week it was –13* at our place when I went to start the car. Honest! MINUS thirteen!
Buuuut… at the beginning of this February deep-freeze I tried out something I’d seen on the car and sure enough, it works. It has an engine heater! All through this cold snap it’s been nice to be able to unplug my car, start it right away and smile to myself “The engine is already warm. How nice,” then hustle back inside for a few more sips of coffee while the interior catches up.
I was thinking this morning, God didn’t have to lead me to a car that already had an engine heater installed on it, but He did. I’m thankful. I’ve not added engine heaters to my cars through the years, but after this week, I just might. It’s a wise thing to do, especially Up Nort’ as we say.
When I keep my eyes open for things God does for me it deepens my gratitude and heightens my awareness of His ongoing work in my life.
There really is no such thing as a coincidence; God loves His kids, is always at work, and He enjoys leaving subtle little flourishes behind that let us know “I’ve already been here”.
Where have you seen Him lately? “God-sightings” they’re often called; I’d love to hear about one of yours!
Phil—
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When I have an instance like this in my life, I thank God for answering my unprayed prayer! He sometimes blesses me by answering a request that would make my life easier, but I didn’t actually take the time to stop and ask Him for it specifically.
My best example of this is when we bought a new home and sold our old. We had to be out of the old by August 15 and our new would not be ready for 3 weeks. We planned to put everything in storage and live in a motel in town. I was praying that the Lord would give me all I needed to survive a motel stay for 3 weeks and eat hamburger helper made with my electric skillet, etc. Well, the men in charge of the modular home company (where we got our new house) called one day and said, “We have an old farm house out north of town, in the subdivision we are developing. We would like to offer to let you guys live in the farm house until your house is done … no cost except utilities.” Wow — now I had 40 acres to wander around, an old farm house with a full kitchen, a place for my doggies to run, and the peace of country life. Well, we lived in the old farm house for 3 months and moved into our new house on November 15. After we moved, I realized the length of time I would have spent in the motel in town and prayed, “Thank you God for answering my unprayed prayer, and meeting a need I didn’t know I had.” 🙂
Phil, Did you know dad had a heater on the car in South Dakota? One morning he was going to give me a ride to school. As I stood waiting for him to get his coat on, I saw black smoke coming from underneath the garage door. The fire wasn’t bad, but it burned out the engine wiring, and we got a new car after that. That’s more of a car heater story than a “thank God for that story” but then again we can be thankful it only damaged the car and didn’t burn down the garage.
I didn’t know that! He certainly protected you!
And let’s see… three months in the country or three weeks in a cubicle, God knows what you’d have preferred. 😆
When we walk with Him, I’m confident He enjoys giving to His children! And when we say “Thank You” — better still.
Phil—
I thought of something else …
God’s design of having the earth revolve around the sun once per year is so awesome. But He didn’t have to paint the sky every morning and every evening from his palette of sky paint! So many of His works in the sky are beautiful beyond compare. I often intentionally look for His handiwork in the sky and say “Good job this morning, Lord” And if the sky is gray and cloudy and I can’t see the sun, I still have the confidence that the sun is still rising and setting as He designed. 🙂
Remember too, His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness! Lamentations 3:22,23
I have a good friend, Dave, who’s often travelling East (into the sun) about the same time I am as we head for work.
He enjoys photography so has his eye on the skies for beauty much of the time too. I remember him commenting on one sunrise we both noticed: “I said to God this morning, ‘For ME, Lord? THANK you!’ ”
Made me smile. It was a God-sighting in the sunrise.
Good words, Jonell, hope you have a great day today!
Phil—
My husband put a “remote car starter” on my car as a Christmas gift one year. The car itself had been a gift, and I was a student in the cold a lot. I could point my keys out the classroom window, see the lights blink and know it was started and warming for me. It would run for ten minutes at a time. We didn’t have a garage either, so I was truly thankful for that act of love!
Great to see God in the small things. Today, God told me I was too afraid of losing good gifts…for fear of being humbled. He said, “Do you ever fear your husband humbling you over your wedding ring?” I said, “No, it was a gift given and received in love.” He said, “Well, neither do you have to fear losing my gifts. They are for you to cherish.”
So sweet!
Very! Isn’t it grand the way He nudges our thinking over to where He wants it to be? I can see our Lord smiling in the direction of one of His children… “See that? *I* gave them that. And look how they enjoy it! What’s more, they know it’s from Me!” 😀