Back in 2021, I took part in a few Zoom workshops with YWAM Writers Europe.  These were really enjoyable and something I could not have attended had it not been for the pandemic and everything moving online…  Every cloud, etc etc. 

Anyway.  This was an assignment that we were asked to complete before one of the workshops, and I had great fun putting it together! #truestory

Assignment: Think of a time you experienced God at work in your life, perhaps a moment that changed your perspective or your character. Write a scene of 1000 words or less, focusing on that moment of transformation.

We often hear stories of how God will provide our every need, of His Providence – “manna in the desert”, “consider the lilies” and all that. Indeed, my husband and I have made it a kind of mantra in our lives, that we are where we have always been – in the Palm of His Hand – and that He will not see us stuck. In theory, this has always sounded lovely, but if asked to give an example of how His Providence looks in our day to day lives, we’d have to think about it. Oh sure, I was in YWAM back in the day, and saw some minor miracles when it came to money appearing out of nowhere for DTS or outreach, and certainly had some moments where it came right down to the wire before God came through at the very last minute. But God’s Providence is for those in full time ministry, right? Well, maybe not!

Picture the scene. A lovely family with five beautiful daughters, living a short walk from their school, the local supermarket and play park, in a beautiful house, safe and warm, with wonderful neighbours… Can you picture it? I’ll give you a moment…

Well. That wasn’t us. Not entirely, anyway! We got into a dispute about some trees and were evicted from our cold, damp, mould-ridden, house that was so close to the school and was the only home our daughters had ever known. Our youngest had been very sick with a lot of extra needs, our eldest was dealing with the aftermath of her little sister’s traumatic arrival, and as a family we had been living in crisis mode for so long. There had been one thing after another piling in on top of us, and we were just about putting one foot in front of the other. We were searching for a new house that would allow us to keep the girls at the same school but we were blocked at every turn. Finally, we found somewhere – it was ten miles away, but beggars can’t be choosers, and it was warm and dry. What we’d be saving in rent and heating oil, we’d be spending in petrol, but that was a compromise we could live with.

So we moved, three days before Christmas. I wouldn’t recommend it, but again, beggars can’t be choosers. Fast forward three months, which were filled with yet another family crisis, yet another family emergency (different child this time, just for a bit of variation), and before we knew it, Easter was upon us. Easter! The highlight of the Christian calendar, time to take a break, to relax and regroup, and the perfect opportunity for us to make the 125 mile trip to visit Grandma. Sounds blissful! But, this is our family we’re talking about, so of course it worked out just a little bit differently than planned. Firstly, the battery died on the car, so we had to borrow jump leads (thanks to the power of Facebook) and get it jump started. Then we realised that our local Pharmacy could not provide our daughter’s prescription formula in time, and effectively we would have to starve her from about lunchtime on Easter Monday. Obviously this wasn’t an option! However, another complex-needs parent came to our aid with the needful, but the delay meant that our trip was pushed out from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning.

Easter Sunday arrived, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the girls were excited! Having loaded up the car with everything we’d need for several days with Grandma, our trip was underway. We barely made it 100 yards when we noticed white smoke billowing from the exhaust pipe behind us…. Needless to say, that was the end of that trip. After consulting Doctor Google and the oh-so-wise people on Facebook, we discovered that it was the head gasket, and, frankly, our trusty workhorse was no more.

While the day itself was just about salvageable (thanks to chocolate and takeaway pizza) we started thinking about our predicament. We had a week before the kids were back in school, and we REALLY needed a car for them to get there. Borrowing one wasn’t really an option because we needed a seven seater and most people had five seaters. Buying one looked equally difficult because that required money, which we didn’t have. We really wanted to keep the girls in the same school because there had been so many changes in recent years and they needed the continuity. A new school would require new uniforms (more money we didn’t have) and besides, car trouble didn’t seem like a particularly good reason for such an upheaval. We consoled each other with soothing comments such as “we’ll get something sorted”, “He’s got this” and “He won’t see us stuck”, but we certainly weren’t feeling it! I decided to “have words” with God, and pointed out to Him (like He’d forgotten) that this was the only door that opened for us when we were moving, so if He was going to move us 10 miles away from the school, He was going to have to sort this out!

I remembered when my brother developed an interest in CB radio, when I was about twelve. We thought it was all a bit silly, a waste of time when he wanted to rig up his latest bit of kit to the car before we went on a weekend trip. I doubt our minds would have been changed, except we found ourselves abandoned at the side of the road with a flat tyre and no wheel brace. We heard the words “Break, break… Anyone out there got a spare wheel brace?”, rapidly followed by three different replies, saying “Roger! Where are you?” Ten minutes later, it didn’t seem that silly any more, not when two men rocked up, changed our tyre and got us back on the road again. I wasn’t exactly expecting any kind of response (other than commiserating with us and our predicament) as I opened Facebook and typed “Anybody out there want to buy us a 7+ seater?!?!!” And, in fairness, I got what I expected – not much of a response! But, just like the wheel brace, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

However, the following evening, I got a private message. “Hey, are you sitting down? I want to tell you a story…”

Our friend proceeded to tell me about how God had been good to them recently – they’d been involved in a work-related lawsuit and received a generous settlement; they wanted to tithe and they knew that we needed a car. “So check your PayPal account and don’t have a heart attack or nuttin’…. And please don’t tell anybody it was from me!”

I checked PayPal and, while I didn’t have a heart attack, there certainly were some tears. Not least when we got to tell our girls that God had just bought us a CAR.

Fast forward a few years, we’ve moved house – this time, we live directly opposite the girls’ school, close to the local supermarket and play park, in a lovely house that is safe and warm, and with good neighbours. We recently got another new-to-us car, and passed this one on to another family who needed it. God is good, all the time.

It is at times like this that it really drives home (no pun intended), that when He says He’ll provide, He really does mean it. It doesn’t matter if you are in full time ministry, needing money for outreach, or if you’re stuck at the side of the road with a flat tyre and no wheel brace. Ask and you shall receive, and if we’re asking for something we need, He won’t see us stuck. He is all about giving us what we need rather than what we want – He’s not about spoiling us. However, sometimes I think He likes to spoil us too.