The Andrews children were excited when they learned that there was going to be an addition to their family. But there was one problem: Dad would have to get a larger vehicle to hold another car seat for the baby.
Word got around that they were going to need a larger vehicle. A friend told them about a used-car lot that had a reasonably priced van for sale, so the whole family went along to look at it. Yes, it was exactly what they needed and had been praying for. They would buy it.
Then the salesman spoke up and gave them his reason for selling it so cheap. IT DIDN’T RUN RIGHT! Several mechanics had looked into it, but they couldn’t seem to figure out what the problem was. The van would hesitate at times, like the motor wanted to stall. That’s why the price was so low. The salesman would sell it to them under one condition only -that this van with its problem would never be brought back to his used-car lot.
The sale was completed. Mother drove the family car home, following her husband driving the van . . . just in case it would stall. They got to their country home safely.
The next evening Mr. Andrews was ready to look for this unusual problem in his new van. He knew he wasn’t as smart as those mechanics, but he did know Someone who was smarter than all of them put together! He would contact Him about the van’s problem.
This was a serious matter, because the family would soon be dependent on this van for their only transportation. As a Christian who knew something about the power of prayer, Mr. Andrews knelt down in the gravel by the front bumper of the van and prayed about the matter. He asked God’s help to get this vehicle running the way it should.
After he was finished praying, he opened his eyes and looked up into the grill . . . and noticed something. It was some sort of a nest hidden in there. That was easy. He removed the nest, and the van ran perfectly after that. Somehow the nest had prevented the engine from getting the air flow that it needed to run right.
Now Mr. Andrews, being an honest Christian man, knew that he hadn’t even spent a nickel on this repair job. What should he do? The salesman really deserved more money than he had asked for the van. Mr. Andrews decided he should go back to the salesman and give him more money, since it wouldn’t be right to cheat a person.
So back he went. However, the salesman refused to take any additional money, saying, “A sale is a sale!”
Mr. Andrews left happy, shaking his head and thanking God for answering his prayer about the van.
ML-02/25/2007