Sheila Walsh’s book, Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God, has a valuable Bible study section at the end. As I worked through it, this question struck me and I thought it would generate some good conversation:
“What have you seen Jesus do that gives you assurance of His ability to intervene in your life in the future?” (p. 253)
My story:
Almost ten years ago, my car blew its transmission on a rural highway. I had three young sons with me and no cell phone. But what did I see on the other side of the road? Another vehicle with a blown transmission, complete with two friendly men and a cell phone with barely enough charge to make a call for help. They shared their phone, we shared the raw hotdogs from our cooler, and everything worked out.
It was hot and boring, but the boys didn’t even fight! We sat in the back of the car and read stories. I wasn’t surprised to look up and see an eagle soar past, and I told the boys about how God encouraged me with the reminder of Isaiah 40:31. (I saw eagles maybe three times that year, each coinciding with a majorly expensive car problem.)
My dad arrived at the same time as the tow truck, and I came home with a certainty that if God could take care of me on the side of the highway, He could take care of me anywhere.
[Edit: You’ll find the full version of this story in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider, an anthology of Canadian Christian writing.]
Great question! There are many things, so many of which I write about in my books. One comes to mind right away: When we were in Texas, 3 1/2 years and were short, in the summers, $800 a month. The first year someone ran into my car on the university parking lot. Without question, his insurance company paid me $1000, even though I reported the cost would be $400 for repair. Then a church friend sent me to his friend who did the work for $300. Do the math 😉 Every summer, the money came in.
Awesome, Faye! So like God! I think sharing our stories strengthens our faith — as tellers and as hearers. Thanks for sharing one of yours.
Oops. It was $1100, not $1000. That’s important. (God can do math, too.)