Subject: how God broke my car (or something like that)
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2004 6:43 PM

This is a story of my most enjoyable breakdown experience.

     "Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion:
         declare among the people his doings."
             Psalm 9:11

This past week, on my way back home from my trip to the University of Texas,
I broke down just north of Meridian, Mississippi at about 9pm.  I was
traveling 70mph in my 1991 Mazda minivan and my engine just died.  So I put
it in neutral and coasted as long as I could.  I was in the middle of
nowhere, and everything was pitch black.  I was able to coast just long
enough to turn right into a driveway, and then go slightly up a hill.  I had
just enough momentum to park the car in a parking place at the top of the
hill.  The car just stopped perfectly in the parking place.  I looked up and
saw that I was sitting at a 24-hour towing service station.  Wow, I praised
God for this.

These days before I go on trips (especially since I tend to drive old cars,
with many miles) I pray that God will get me there safely, unless he has
some of His work for me to do somewhere.  So I knew that He had allowed this
"breakdown" for His purpose.  Secondly, I had purposed in my mind that if I
ever broke down, that I would pray to God, sit quietly, read my Bible, and
wait for God to provide deliverance for me.  So I tried to sit quietly, read
my Bible, and pray that God would provide me help.  (Ok, I confess, that
lasted for only about ten minutes, and then I tried to make a phone call on
my cell phone, but all the network was tied up.)

Anyway, about eleven minutes later, a tow truck came up and parked right
beside me.  Two guys got out, and I asked them if they could look at my car.
They were able to figure out the problem was my electronic ignition, which
they couldn't fix there.  They told me it would cost $250 to tow my car to
Starkville.  I didn't have that kind of money.  I called my friend Ben in
Starkville,  who
said he would come down with a trailer and tow me back.

So, I was there for about two hours.  The one guy said I could come inside
their shop and keep warm, while he worked on an 18-wheeler.  The second guy
went home.  So, I knew that God had put me there for a purpose, so I prayed
"Lord, why am I here?".  Then I had an overwhelming sense that this guys
wife had just left him.  So, I was trying to figure out how to ask this guy
"Excuse me, did your wife just leave you?".  No, I thought that would be too
awkward.  So after praying more about it, I thought to ask him "So don't you
have a family to go home to?".  And he said "no, as of two weeks ago, I was
engaged to be married, but my fiance just left me."  I praised God, because
I knew He had put me there specifically to console this guy (2Corinthians
1:3-4).  I was able to spend the next two hours talking with him about my
situation, how my wife left me.  And how, despite how difficult it has been,
it was the best thing that happened to me, because it forced me to focus on
what was really important: not living for ourselves, but living for God.  In
fact, the purpose of every human's life is to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7,
Revelation 4:11).  Then, I gave him some literature to read.  Soon after, my
ride came, and I was off back to Starkville.  When I left, he closed up the
shop and left right behind us.  Then I realized, he had stayed there the
entire time with me, just to keep me company and talk.  And I remembered the
LORD my God.

     "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:
     but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."
     Psalm 20:7

So I am even more convinced today, that it is God who is our strength.  We
need to put more and more of our trust in Him and in His deliverance, and
not trust in our own ability to save ourselves (Jeremiah 17:5,7).  And that
it is He that gets me from point A to point B.  And if he wanted, he could
snatch me up as he did Philip (Acts 8:39).  But instead, he has used old
"undependable" cars to prove again and again that He is faithful.  I've
never had such a enjoyable breakdown experience.

 "If we are faithless,
    He remains faithful;
   He cannot deny Himself."
     2 Timothy 2:13

Godspeed!
 wes

--
resting in His everlasting arms since 1997.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
 and I will give you rest."