It was 10:00 am. My phone rang and it was Nickie. I knew she was leaving at 9:00 am, taking a group of Bright Lights girls to volunteer for a conference at the Ark Encounter. I could think of no reason she would call unless there was a problem.
“Hi Nickie. Is everything okay?”
“The van isn’t running right,” she said. “It sort of died and then started running again. Or maybe it wasn’t shifting right. It’s weird. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s running alright at the moment.”
I thought for a second. She had a 500-mile trip today but hadn’t left town yet. She was still picking up the girls who were going with her.
“Pick up the girls and come back to Marion and meet me at L&L (our local auto shop). I’ll get there first and give Mike a heads up so he knows what to check.”
Mike was ready when Nickie pulled in. He found two problems. The transmission fluid was low and there was a loose cable to the battery. I had cleaned the battery posts and tightened the terminals, but there was a secondary cable that had apparently gotten loose that I hadn’t noticed.
We were so happy with a quick pit-stop and such easy fixes. Nickie was able to hit the road with peace of mind. And I had peace of mind too.
We were reminded that we had experienced God’s protection yet again. It’s hard to count the number of times God has protected us by arranging our breakdowns in convenient places. We have had flat tires in front of tire shops, alternator trouble twice near Christian owned shops, electrical problems in our driveway instead of the middle of nowhere, a brake fluid line break the day BEFORE we left (instead of being unable to stop somewhere in heavy traffic), a battery explode as we came to the welcome sign of our home town after a 2,500 mile trip, and a dozen more such examples of traveling protection.
It’s not that God keeps us from all car trouble, but He has allowed it when and where we can get help. And of course God protects in countless ways, not just traveling mercy.
As we know, God’s faithfulness is evident in every area of our lives. We have many pressures, stresses, and traumas of life that are bigger and more troubling than vehicles. Disease, disappointment, distress and disasters of all sorts are ever confronting us. But all these things are reminders to thank Him for His faithfulness. And also they drive us to Him and to His Word. What Scripture do you go to when facing life’s trials (big or small)?
• “David strengthened himself in the Lord” – when he thought he had lost all (1 Sam. 30:6).
• “I am with you to the end of the age” – Jesus is ever near. He will not abandon us (Matt. 28:20).
• “My God shall supply all your need according to the riches . . .” – Paul commends the Philippians for their generosity and gives them this promise (Phil. 4:19).
• “All things work together for good to them that love God . . .” – God is powerful and we can trust Him to carry out His good purposes (Rom. 8:28).
• “ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace . . .” – We have a great High Priest representing us (Heb. 4:16).