Why is it that I have a tendency of forgetting that God is God and will show up to awesome things? That's a question I've been pondering lately. You see my heart knows that to be true. It's my head that has a hard time remembering that.
There really is a reason behind my questioning this week. Last Thursday evening, I was on my way to my best friend's house when my car hesitated, pretty much stalled out on me, and felt really sluggish. So later that evening, we managed to get it to the mechanic. I called them the next day to tell them what had happened. My mechanic has seen every vehicle my family owns, sometimes multiple times, over the last ten years or so. Anyway, he couldn't find anything wrong with my car. So I go and pick it up, then go to the bank, then stop for gas. Then my battery dies. My brother was able to meet me and jumpstart my car. He then followed me to AutoZone for a battery. Once it was replaced, I went about the rest of my day. I had no problems driving my car for the rest of Friday, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, or even to or from work on Monday.
Then as I was leaving a customer's house after a product delivery, the car started doing the exact same thing it had done on Thursday. Only this time, the oil light came on. I was close to a Walmart, so I managed to get it there. For an oil change. Only once there, the guys couldn't start it. Then when they did get it started, it was shaking and trying to go backwards or not accelerating at all. Needless to say, I called AAA. My mechanic had told me on Friday that if it acted up again to take it directly to the dealership. I'm a little hard of hearing at times. I should have listened. Triple A comes and gets me, and we get the car towed to the Ford dealership near me. The tow truck driver had to shift the car into neutral in order to get it started at all. I'd already called Ford and told them the problems. The gentleman I spoke with instructed me to put everything to his attention. I pretty much was fighting tears at this point. Because I was feeling rather helpless. Mom comes and picks me up at the dealership. She loaned me her truck for a few days.
I get a call from the dealership on Tuesday saying that they've moved it into one of the garage bays. Shortly after that, I received an email from Mom. She told me to read 2 Samuel 22. She'd been praying that God would take care of it. So was I for that matter. But still. It's so hard to let go and completely trust. When I had a chance, I read 2 Samuel 22. I've pasted it here.
2 Samuel 22New International Version (NIV)
David’s Song of Praise
22 David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.
4
“I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5
The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7
“In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8
The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
10
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
11
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
12
He made darkness his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13
Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
18
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
20
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21
“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22
For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23
All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.
24
I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27
to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28
You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29
You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
31
“As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
32
For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
33
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
34
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
35
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36
You make your saving help my shield;
your help has made me great.
37
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
38
“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39
I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
40
You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
41
You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
42
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.
43
I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44
“You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples;
you have preserved me as the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
45
foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
46
They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
47
“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!
48
He is the God who avenges me,
who puts the nations under me,
49
who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
50
Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.
51
“He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Why did Mom ask me to read this passage? Because it talks about trusting in the Lord. And that was something I certainly needed to learn this week. I realize that I may not have the physical enemies that David had. But I KNOW I have spiritual ones.
So Tuesday and Wednesday went by. I'm driving mom's truck to work. She is driving the Saturn. I was teaching a PowerPoint class on Thursday, and I'd just dismissed my students for lunch when the dealership called.
The same service technician I spoke with on Monday called to tell me that he had good news. My transmission control module was shot. My thought was how is that good news? He then went on to explain that it was covered under a warranty that I didn't know I had. The car was repaired and ready for me to pick up.
And the cost - absolutely nothing! I felt the tears come to my eyes again. Tears this time of joy. Because I'd just had another lesson that when I sit back and allow God to do something, He responds in a way that leaves no doubt that it could be anything else but Him. I called Mom. Told her the news. Then emailed my Small Group.
When we arrived at the dealership after I got off of work, I also found out that this particular repair was also part of a recall. I said that I'd not gotten anything from Ford yet about this, and he told me it was a recent one - within the last few weeks. He also said I'd probably get a letter, but the problem has already been repaired.
So I learned (once again) that God's got this. I just have to remember to trust Him. I can promise you that this will be a lesson that I will need to learn over and over again. I'm a little hard headed and it takes a bit for things to sink through at times.
One of the biggest things about this whole situation is that I was in Dallas at the end of July. God knew all of this was going to happen. And if we had been driving my car instead of a sister consultant's car, then there was a VERY good chance that one the battery would have died and that two the transmission problem would have occurred either in Dallas or somewhere between Houston and Dallas.
But one thing I learned at my conference was Grace. We have been given grace, and so we need to show grace. And while I can see that this will be a learning curve for me, because I know I'm still learning. I'm one of those people who have to learn SOME things several times before it sinks in. I am working hard on remembering that I can trust God to be God and for me not to worry. Because after all, Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. Yet I do anyway.
Maybe I need to commit 2 Samuel 22 to memory. I think that may help.
