“What’s that?” we asked each other in alarm.
My husband Alex and I had been breezing along the road in central Illinois in our old car. We were returning to our home near Chicago from a summer spent at a university in the central part of the state, and the car was packed full. We were driving through farming country, with ripening fields of corn on every side. We saw very few cars and not many houses. Having the road nearly to ourselves was really nice ... until we heard that sudden, thumping noise under our car that startled us!
One look quickly told us that the tire was past repairing. Alex is no mechanic, but he could change a tire. However, out here in the country, changing a tire on the side of the road was not a good idea, especially since our trunk was jammed full—suitcases, food, kitchen stuff—the whole car was really packed! Well, we had no choice but to unload the trunk to get to the spare tire. Thankfully, the Lord allowed this to happen by one of the few houses around.
No one seemed to be home at the house as we started to unload the trunk in the home’s gravel driveway. We finally got down to the spare tire to discover, “Oh, no! ... The spare tire is flat too!” It certainly wasn’t going to be of any help!
Soon after we made the disappointing discovery of the spare tire also being flat, we were going to make a wonderful discovery about the faithfulness and constant care of our Father God. We were many miles from any help, and we did not have a cell phone. No one knew about our problem, and there was no way to tell anyone or call for help.
Did I say, “No one knew”? That was far from true. There was Someone who had been watching over us every step of the way. Our Father in heaven was soon to show us that we certainly did matter much more to Him than a fallen sparrow. He had once said that He notices even when a sparrow falls to the ground. Isn’t that amazing? He even knows how many hairs are on each of our heads! So He certainly knew about our problem of a flat tire and a flat spare tire too! “He [cares] for you” (1 Peter 5:77Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)). Do you know Him as your loving Father and Friend? It is wonderful to have Someone to care for you who has all power in heaven and in earth!
There had been at least one vehicle that had passed us as we sat at the side of the road. Something, or Someone, made the driver come back to see if we needed help. Amazingly, this was not just any old car or truck we saw pulling up beside us on that gravel driveway. It was a tire-repair truck!
“What an amazing coincidence,” someone might say. No, we who know God as our Father know better. We are in His care day and night, and He has all we need for every emergency, big or small.
The truck driver kindly fixed the flat spare tire, helped put it on, and then directed us where to go to buy four new tires. “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He [knows] them that trust in Him” (Nahum 1:77The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)).
What a loving, caring God we have. Do you know Him as your loving Father?
ML-05/31/2009