I felt compelled to write the details of some recent events through which God is teaching us while here in seminary.
On my way to Georgia to take the kids to Dad and Mom's while we moved, the Check Engine light came on in the van. I didn't think much of it because nothing acted funny. I drove back the next day and we used it to move that weekend. The next week I decided to take it to our car guy and have him check it. I was thinking a sensor or something simple had gone out. As you can probably guess, it was something quite a bit more serious than that. He called and told my wife that the van had two "codes" signaling complete transmission failure. When she called to tell me, I was simply shocked. "But it's a Honda," I kept saying to myself over and over. The estimate was nearly $4000.
We waited a couple of days and I decided I wasn't going to talk to anyone about it (except my brother for mechanical advice). I was just going to pray. I told my brother to keep it to himself. We prayed, and really sensed that we didn't need to worry. This amount was so far beyond our ability that we couldn't do anything about it if we wanted. Who would think of putting nearly a fifth of their annual salary on a credit card to pay for repairing a van that they've only made one car payment on?!!
After a couple of days and talking to my brother, I decided I wanted a second opinion before I did anything. We took it to the Honda dealership and just told them to check the light. They came back with the same results and a slightly higher estimate. Again, we were floored. We knew the Lord could provide, but we had never seen Him work like this. We'd heard of others, like missionaries, praying and seeing the Lord do great things, but never saw this in our own lives in such a way.
When we got home a friend of ours called and was talking to my wife about planting some herbs. My wife finally told her she was a little distracted because we just found out for sure that we were going to have to replace the transmission in the van and asked if they could talk later. She told her that was fine and that she would pray for us.
That next morning we went to church and heard a sermon from Mark on the faith of the men who carried the paralytic up to the roof and let him down for Jesus to heal. The gentleman preaching accounted the details of this event and how bizarre these actions were. They were extreme, demonstrating a faith that was bold. I didn't know what that meant for us specifically, but I was reassured that our faith must be bold. We should be ready and expectant.
That afternoon the husband of this friend called. We've just gotten to know these people better recently. There's no reason for them to like us. They're not our age. They’ve only known us for two years. We’ve only been to their house one time. But we've really hit it off with them. When it came time to move, they were there to help. And now, on Sunday afternoon, here I am listening to him ask me questions about the transmission. He then began to account to me about some land that belonged to his mother that was deeded to him years ago. Unfortunately, some cousins thought they should have it and began a five-year legal battle that almost went to the Supreme Court. It was a ridiculous fight on their part. I think they thought these friends of ours would give up and let them have it. I remember hearing the stories of these legal battles as we got to know this couple over the past two years. They really wondered why. Now, he's on the phone telling me that he thinks God allowed all of this to finally get settled some five years later for "such a time as this." They'd put the land up for sale after everything cleared and it had finally sold. The closing was set for Wednesday. While they usually give ten percent to the church, God had pricked their heart to give this amount to us instead. He told me that since we had committed our lives to ministry, they were comfortable and felt compelled to give in this way. At this point I'm thinking, "Thank you Lord for providing some of the money for this transmission,” thinking it might be $500 or so. By the end of the conversation he told me that this gift would cover the transmission. He told me not to do anything yet as the closing had not yet happened, and because of all the legal battles the title company wasn’t real keen on issuing a title. He said the buyer could back out too. We prayed, and prayed. He called me Thursday and said everything is settled and the closing went through. Praise the Lord!
The lessons from this are numerous. I’ve concluded that this was not about a transmission, or about a Honda needing a transmission at 115,000 miles (as much as that should NEVER happen!!). It was not about the probability that those who sold us the van knew of this problem before we bought it. It was about our trusting God and seeing Him provide an amount that from a human perspective was unbelievable, but from a divine perspective was completely believable. The God who sovereignly provided, sovereignly allowed us to buy the van. In other words, what we saw as a need for our family as we grew, an inanimate piece of metal that we ride around in, was so much more than that. It’s an object lesson to us. Right now, it reminds me of a Pharisee, or as Jesus called them, a white-washed tomb. It’s pretty in the driveway, but dead on the inside. More importantly, it has taught us of God’s faithfulness. It has renewed our faith, and refreshed us spiritually. We have seen God work in a way that is unexplainable. No statistics can provide for this kind of incident.
As my friend reminded me, God orchestrated all these events, from the land and legal battles, to the transmission failing, all to show His glory. He uses His people, His body, to work, encourage, and be vessels through which He moves. It is a beautiful thing.
As we continue through seminary we know God will continue to provide for us. The brakes on my car have been failing for a couple of years. My wife never had to drive it so I wasn’t really worried. I knew how to get it to stop. But the weekend I took the kids over when we moved, she had to drive it to the doctor’s office. The brakes didn’t work for her. She got a scare and I was reminded that I better do something. Our new landlords came to us and said to take $200 off the security deposit if we’d promise to have the brakes repaired. I took the car in and when the mechanic called to give the diagnosis, he said, “It’s going to be $208.” I almost replied, “I know.” Isn’t God good?
So remember next time you get yourself worked up. Or remind me next time I get worked up about something. This God we serve, the Creator of the Universe, the Sovereign One, is infinitely able to dress the flowers and feed the sparrows, and is certainly able to meet all our needs.
I should add a final thought that I am thankful for. When all this began, even though I knew God would provide, I really thought we would have to wait quite a while. I had it in my head, for some obviously sinful reason, that God was going to make us sweat it out for a long time. In a sense, I was thinking we were going to have to earn it by our waiting or by our stress. I am thankful that God quickly answered not because we’ll have a vehicle ready in time for the arrival of our third child, but so I would never think I earned it, or that I had paid my penance. Isn’t it amazing, even when we acknowledge a sovereign God, how we can still live and think according to an unbiblical theology? God is good, all the time; His faithfulness stretches to the skies! So for the greatness of His renown, I share this with you that your faith might also increase in love and obedience.

JSW - June 11, 2004