I love to share stories of God’s grace with you. God loves to take care of His children in ways that can point only to Him, that it’s His doing. Judy Knox, my guest for today, shares one of those sightings from her book, Dewdrops of Grace. Here’s Judy:
I find myself continually amazed at how God shows us His love and grace through ordinary, everyday circumstances. Little examples of his care and protection come along almost every day, but every now and then one incident will stand out, becoming a tangible touchstone to remind us that whatever we’re facing today, God already has an answer. When I come upon a difficult situation, I stir up my remembrance of times in the past where He met my need, and this strengthens my faith that He will take care of the current problem as well.
In the ten years following my retirement, my husband and I eased into a comfortable division of labor where each of us took over certain responsibilities. Concerning the car, he drove and I navigated. Other than an occasional jaunt to the grocery store or mall, I drove very little. In the three years since we had bought our latest car, I probably logged less than three hundred miles. He liked driving; I liked being a passenger and paid little attention to the workings of the car. This arrangement worked smoothly until he was suddenly rushed to a hospital forty-five miles from home to undergo major heart surgery. Suddenly I became solely responsible for the car.
While he lay incapacitated I began venturing forth as necessary. Though life in the hospital was stressful, I was doing fine with the whole driving thing until the morning I walked out the door of the house where I was staying to discover a windshield covered with sticky seed pods brought down by rain during the night. I turned on the wipers, which only created a gooey mess. Oh well, I would turn on the windshield washers. No problem, except I didn’t know how!
The owner’s manual was no help. I did what I thought it said, but obviously had not understood the instructions. In a hurry to get to the hospital, I headed on down the street peering through streaks. I knew it would not be safe to make the return trip that night in the dark without cleaning the windshield.
With the stress I was already experiencing at the hospital, I didn’t need the added complication of this dilemma. I tried to think of someone to ask about it, but no good answers came to mind. Only then did it occur to me to pray for help. My prayer was not eloquent: “Lord, thank you for showing me who I can ask about this.”
As I approached the parking garage, I noticed a car exactly like mine entering the line just a few spaces ahead of me. I pulled into my usual slot, and the other car pulled in facing me on the other side of the concrete dividing wall. I expected the driver to walk away from me toward the hospital entrance, but instead, he walked in the opposite direction, around the wall, and right toward my car. I lowered my window as he came near, and asked if he could show me how to work the windshield washer. Nothing to it when you know how!
All that morning I rejoiced over God’s perfect, simple answer to my simple, heartfelt prayer. Once again, the Creator of the Universe had shown me His love and care in a tangible way. I’m glad the owner’s manual didn’t make sense because I needed a touch of God that morning more than a clean windshield, and I ended up with both.
Do you have a special story about a time God gave you a direct, simple, and tangible answer to a prayer when you were in need?
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