Matthew 17:27 – However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself. (ESV)

I have been preoccupied with the purchase of a replacement car, as the current one has now done 92,000 miles.

During the initial process of putting my toe in the water, I cried out to God, firstly, to find what I thought was the right car — with a 4×4 standard gearbox for towing a caravan. At the second place I looked, I was surprised to find a car with only 15,000 miles on the clock and but three years old.

Secondly, having found the car, then I asked Him to find the finances to make its purchase possible — if this was indeed the right one, and not just my unruliness, as so often is the case! Maybe, I was asking too much of God. This was potentially a very bad situation to put myself in, for a control freak like me.

A car makes it easier to do life's chores, but it is not essential. I did not want to let my track record of mistakes, which has burned me in the past, to prevent God from directing my path with this car, good or bad.

Still, I knew that this was a big request — not of God, but of my own faith and expectancy, which tend to evaporate when faced with sustained opposition in life. I have had so many doors slammed closed that I find it hard to accept an open one.

With my almost-trusting stress waking me up early, I humbly asked God for His peace which passes all understanding, which again surprisingly came straight away — a good sign.

Could it be that God was in this? It seemed unlikely when I looked at the amounts of money involved, as I had not expected to find a car straight away.

Wonderfully, my mother-in-law said that she had previously decided to give us a contribution towards the purchase of a car — amazingly, the exact amount that I had prayed for! Even more improbably, the tax man gave us some money, too. This was just enough to make the monthly payments possible.

I asked some friends to pray for wisdom. They prayed that if it were right, as a confirmation, I would get a better deal from the garage for the transaction, which happened. Later this week, I will swap the old car for a newer one.

What can we take away from this experience? God hears the desires of our hearts and is interested enough in each of our situations to want to encourage us and to walk with us through the challenge of being out of our comfort zone. He sees us through our life involvements and shows us that He is still with us for what comes next.

Prayer: Lord, You are the One we can trust, through circumstances good or bad. Forgive us our frailties, and set our feet upon the rock of the salvation and grace that You have provided. You know what we need before we ask it. Holy Spirit, come and abide in us today, and go with us into the day ahead. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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