Americans have fallen in love with the automobile a long time ago, but cars can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. One one hand it’s a great luxury to be able to drive to the store versus walking or biking in this heat! The curse is when they break down and cost too much to repair.
My love for cars began at an early age when I assisted my father while working on his antique car. He said every young girl ought to know the basics about their car and how to fix it in a pinch. For me, that car was a sporty Pontiac Bonneville that had a supercharged V-8, a moon roof, electric everything and leather seats. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have jumped in the car with no particular place to go and driven along the water to relax or unwind. I remember many carefree drives where the sun is shining down through the moon roof, the windows are down and the fresh smell of salt air is blowing through the car.
Unfortunately, today was not one of those enjoyable “love my car” days!
Fast forward to today, and my car has more electronic parts and sensors than you could even imagine. The fun began when I stopped at the bank and it would not restart when I returned. I knew it wasn’t the battery because I replaced it just three months ago and AAA was slammed with service calls. It would be at least an hour before I could get service. Being the adventurous and “driven” person that I am, I decided to walk home and change into something cooler. I was up for a walk and the distance was only three blocks, but I never imagined the scorching heat would make me feel like I was going to melt into the side walk! My face even felt like it was burning.
Feeling all hot and sweaty, I finally arrived at my front door. When I opened the door I instantly felt the cool air hit my face as I walked into the house. I thought, “How wonderful it was to have air conditioning”. Then the phone rang and it was AAA stating that the service truck would be there in fifteen minutes! I didn’t even have a chance to cool down before I had to make a mad dash for the bedroom for the quickest clothes change of my life which included putting on my tennis shoes. Now I thought, all I had to do was get back to my car before the service truck arrived. I burned rubber, on my tennis shoes that is, and managed to arrive before the service truck! Whew! Now two of us sweating in the hot sun–the service truck driver and me. He hooked up a handheld diagnostic device to my car which ruled out the alternator and battery. He said it was probably the starter, yet the car started when he tried it and I was able to drive home.
I knew that this repair would not be cheap from previous experiences repairing my car. I took a moment to stop, look up at the sky and had a little talk with the Lord. I said, “You know I don’t have money to make expensive repairs to this car. Could you please help me out here?” I began by viewing You Tube videos to find the location of the starter and other possibilities for the problem. Then I began to call mechanics and one mechanic was very familiar with this type of problem. His experience with the same type of car led him to believe that the crank shaft position sensor had gone bad. He asked me a few more questions about how the car was acting and he was right on the money.
After speaking with multiple car mechanics who blew my mind with $710+ repair quotes, I desperately needed to find a cheaper alternative. I called an auto parts store and the part was only $66. I wondered, “Why were the mechanics charging so much to fix it?” Thankfully, I remembered a neighbor saying she had a great mechanic who was reasonable. I went to see her and then called her mechanic. She was right–for less than $200 my car would be fixed! I yelled, “Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer!”
So after all the feelings of frustration, walking in scorching heat, and mind blowing quotes, I felt so blessed because I am able to talk to a God who answers prayers! In fact, I’ve realized that I have had many circumstances where God has answered my prayers. That is why I am recording these stories for myself, for my children and for others to always remember to be encouraged and to give thanks to the Lord.
What kind of prayer answered stories do you have?
Get The WORD Out! 