God Did It Again

Sunday was a busy day. We sat under God's word, worshiped, enjoyed fellowship and evangelized. When our elders told me they needed to meet with Brenda and I after the service I had no idea what they had on their mind. We gathered in my office and I joked that we were about to get fired.

Neither Brenda nor I were prepared for what they told us. Someone in our church wanted to bless us with a vehicle. Not just a vehicle. A Lincoln Continental with only 55,000 miles on it. Not only that, this generous person had already made arrangements to get every issue on the car repaired before blessing us. Even down to a tiny dent that the elders could not even find.

Brenda began to weep. I stood there silently. I had no words. We have prayed about God's help for years in providing vehicles without our going into debt. God answered in a very dramatic way this past Sunday morning.

To be perfectly honest I had grown very discouraged that very weekend. Both of our vehicles began acting up. We had no extra money for repairs and I was at the point where I did not know another prayer to pray that I had not prayed already. I could not understand why God delayed. I understand now. He waited until I was most discouraged and without hope so He could get the most glory. He delayed to get my full attention to remind me what He is capable of doing.

He did it again. When I say he did it again I mean God blessed us with a vehicle again. Many times I have written about this. God blessed me with a car the first time when I was in college. I served as a youth minister in a town 48 miles away from campus. I had no car. I caught rides with other people going in that same direction or Brenda and I drove it together in her car until she went home for the summer.

A generous family opened their guest room for me to stay in during the weekends from the church I served. I made a grand total of $35 a week at Rochelle Baptist Church. The experiences I had there were worth a lot more than that. The Munden family blessed me with Chevrolet Caprice Classic. I drove that car for years until one night I caught in a flood and it died.

My next miracle vehicle came after months and months of praying for God's provision. The little truck I drove at the time had 2007,000 miles on it and I drove it to travel preaching as a full time evangelists. I prayed about that for months when one day I was informed a doctor in town wanted to bless me with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with 80,000 miles on it. I glorified God and testified in every church I preached in what God did. I put an additional 120,000 miles on that vehicle before selling it.

The third miracle vehicle came after God instructed me to give away a perfectly good truck to a friend who totaled his car in a wreck. That little truck barely had 50,000 miles on it and we paid cash for it after selling our house. I obeyed in faith and went seven months without a vehicle. After seven months of travailing prayer God used three people to provide for the truck that now sits in my driveway. That truck had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it. I have driven it to make hospital visits, preach revivals and youth camps, to do evangelism work, to mow yards. I glorified God about that truck bragging on Him. Now that truck has 247,000 miles on it.

Tucker actually drove that truck to college for the first semester because we were not able to buy him a vehicle of his own. It was a sacrifice and inconvenient but we kept praying for God to bless him. We prayed that for a year and a half. This past December God answered that prayer. A friend of my mother in law sold us a Mazda 6 car with only 45,000 miles on it for only $500. Yes you read that right. $500. Hallelujah. God did again.

Brenda's suburban has been a great vehicle for us for the past 14 years. We have traveled a lot for ministry and family events in that vehicle. We have many fond memories in it. We have never owned a vehicle longer or driven one further with now 350,000 miles on it.

Out of those circumstances God did it again. Again I will glorify Him for what He has done. I will also glorify Him for what He is going to do. All glory to Him. He came through at just the right time. God surprised my wife and I. He did it in a totally unexpected way. He once again showed us His power. He can do anything.

Back up a second. About 16 months ago I prayed one of the most audacious prayers I'd ever prayed. I have kept that petition before the Lord. I asked Him for three vehicles. Yep. I asked God for three vehicles and have done so since. Some might say outlandish. Others would say foolish. I would just say God has blessed us with two out of those three requested vehicles. You have not because you ask not. I glorify His name for doing so.

God do anything. He can move any mountain. [Mark 11:23-24] He can provide for any need. [Phil 4:19] He can answer prayer. [Matt 7:7-8] He can do the impossible. [Matt 19:26] He can do more through answered prayer than we can do in years of our own striving. That is what this is all about. It about boasting in God and testifying of prayers He  has answered for my family for years. It is about encouraging others with real needs to persistently take those needs to God in prayer and trust Him for results. Tangible results.

A church member recently approached me with a strange proposition. This person felt God wanted them to purchase a storage building for Heritage Baptist Church. The only catch is they would have to put it on a credit card. I immediately hesitated and told the person my doubts about them going into debt. I knew this person lived on a fixed income. We both agreed to pray. This same person talked to me privately before our Wednesday night service. With a list in hand this person read scripture after scripture and then this one statement that penetrated my heart. "Please do not deny me the opportunity to sacrifice for my Lord."

Such faith and generosity humbled me. Yesterday, a company constructed that storage building on our property and I walked inside something that faith built. Now I am asking and trusting God to provide the $4,000 to pay off that building in response to this person's faith and willingness to sacrifice. This church member told me it was possible because all that was needed would be to quit going out to eat to meet the monthly obligations. I believe God has something else in mind. I believe the faith of one person can stir the faith of many others and that $4,000 can be wiped out just like God met our need for another vehicle.

O people, God is bigger than we imagine. He is stronger than we can conceive. He is more than able to do what concerns us today. [Eph 3:20]  I stand in faith for my family and for others in need. I stand in faith for this generous saint who made such a tangible sacrifice for the benefit of our church. I stand in faith so God gets all the glory when He does what others think is impossible. In those moments I delight to preach and write, "God did it again. Once again He surprised me. Once again He flexed His muscle to give just a tiny glimpse of what He is able to do." He reminds me that nothing is too difficult for Him. I expect I will spend the rest of my days saying, "God did it again. Glory to His name."

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.