What does a mailbox, a storm, a dryer, and shoes have in common? On any given day, nothing. But on the last day of school, God used these random items to bring glory to Him. I know you must be thinking “Okay, seriously, a pair of shoes will bring glory to God, yeah right.” But hang in there with me…I’ll prove it to you.
Mailbox: It was the last day of school and the kids are I driving home. The top is down on the convertible and we are bellowing our lungs out in song. Excitement is in the air. We turn onto a back country road, still singing our hearts out, our voices lift straight to heaven in a sunny and cloudless sky. As we enter a curve in the road, there is a white SUV completely in on our side of the road. I immediately pray “God help me!” I have two choices A) Hit the SUV. B) Hit a mailbox and crash down an embankment. I yell back to the kids, “Pray, we are going to crash.” The driver doesn’t see us. He is reaching down in the floorboard of his SUV, he is not looking at the road. “Lord, keep us safe. Send an army of angels to protect us.” We are going to crash. There is no way to avoid this, we are going to crash into the mailbox. I lay on the horn and swerve into a mailbox, bracing myself for a crash and a roll down an embankment. But it didn’t happen. Trembling hands on the wheel, my kids yell, “We didn’t hit the mailbox, how come we didn’t hit the mailbox!” I slow down to regain composure. I turn around to see the mailbox still there, the embankment is still there and yet we are here. There was no physical way that my defensive driving defied the laws of physics. God saved us! He sent an angel to move that mailbox and keep us on the road. The song we had been bellowing our lungs out to is still playing. Cold chills run through my body as I continue to sing the lyrics to the David Crowder song we were singing before this occurred…”You never let go, You never let go…”
“He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.”-Psalms 91:11
Storm: Several hours later this same day, a late afternoon storm arose. I wasn’t concerned for this thunderstorm until I saw a the trees swaying in a particular pattern. A pattern that indicates tornado. I checked the Internet to find we were under a tornado warning and the storm was right over our area. (I have reason to be scared, because 10 years ago on July 5th, a tornado placed an 80 foot oak tree through our house.) The kids and I ran to our safe area. “What do we do now mama, the kids nervously asked?” “We pray!” I responded. As we sat huddled in the bathroom, each child in my lap as we prayed. In my prayers I reminded the kids of how a storm arose one time with the disciples and Jesus was on the boat. All Jesus had to do was speak and to storm stopped. “Jesus, just by the power of your voice, even the winds obey you. Lord, speak and stop this storm, Amen.” When we finished, we decided to peek out to check the severity of the storm. But there was no more storm! Only blue skies! The kids and I jump up and down with excitement. The second time in one day that Jesus kept us safe!
“He (Jesus) got up and rebuked the storm ‘Quiet! Be still!’. Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” -Mark 4:39
Dryer: That same night our dyer broke. Grrr I thought. These things never happen at a good time, nor when you have extra money. As I was grumbling to myself, a conversation I had with my dad that morning during the kids Awards Assembly came to mind. “Do you know of anybody who needs an extra washer and dryer? Your mother and I have an extra set that we will give to whoever needs it.” I laughed at God’s perfect timing. I pick up the phone and call home. “Dad, our dryer broke, I guess I will be the one who needs that dryer.”
“Your Father knows what you need, before you ask him.” -Matthew 6:8
Shoes: My kids having been desiring new Crocs before we go on vacation. I’ve been putting off shoe shopping because the kids have several pairs of flip flops and sandals. I was hoping they would forget about wanting new Crocs. Last week the kids come home from Grandma’s with a shopping bag full of shoes! My mother had been to a yard sale and she brings home brand new Crocs (tags still on) for both kids!
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”- Psalms 37:4
You see, I told you that even shoes can bring glory to God! No matter what the circumstance, one thing is certain. God is SO good….ALL the time!
~April
“May you and I be mutually encouraged by each others faith.”-Romans 1:12