We were packing the last few things for a two-thousand-mile airplane trip across the country, so it was a busy day. Besides our own five children, one of their friends was also going with us, so we had a lot of luggage. We had gotten good prices for the tickets we had purchased, but we had to drive to an airport three hours away.
We left home quite early in the morning for the airport and then stopped along the way to eat a quick breakfast before continuing on. About an hour later I reached for my purse, but I couldn’t find it anywhere among our things. Where could it be?
Suddenly I remembered that I had set it on the floor at the restaurant because we were so crowded at the table. What an awful feeling that gave me! Not only did the purse have many credit cards, but there was also a large amount of money and one of the plane tickets! Did we have time to drive all the way back to the restaurant to see if the purse was still there? Having to go back would take us two hours roundtrip. Our plane tickets were non-refundable, and that meant we could not get our money back if we missed our flight! What to do raced through our minds.
Have you ever had a hard problem like this and not known where to turn for help? That’s exactly where we were. But since we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and His love and saving power, we turned to Him in prayer. Everybody in our car knew the Bible verse that says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:11<<To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.>> God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)). We asked Him to help us know what to do. He is a loving Saviour and delights to bless His children that have put their trust in Him.
After praying, we decided to drive back to the restaurant, even though the timing to reach the airport would be close. What a long drive it seemed to be. Some of us continued praying as we traveled back, asking the Lord Jesus to guide us through this problem.
The girl at the restaurant counter looked blank when asked about a lost purse and said she didn’t know of one being found. I was just about to leave when another employee walked over, reached under the counter ... and pulled out my purse! Someone had found it on the floor and had given it to him. Not a penny was missing, and nothing inside had been touched!
What a happy and thankful carload we were as we headed on to the airport once again. We managed to get through the security check quickly, for which we again were very thankful. And in a short time we were all comfortably seated on the airplane, waiting for takeoff. They were all amazing answers to many prayers that morning.
It would have been a sad day had we missed that flight. But there is a much more important journey each one of us is on, including you. It is the journey of life and will end in the happiness of heaven or the unspeakable despair of hell. The Bible warns, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:1919I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19)). The choice is yours.
The same Lord Jesus Christ that answered our prayers is offering you salvation that He has already paid for. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)).
ML-12/22/2013