The power of prayer

"It'll be $170 to replace the front ball joints," said the mechanic. "Great! I'll bring my car by after work," I told him. It was a no-brainer. The other shop quoted me for $120 more, and this guy knows more about my car than I do with how often my 2000 Ford Taurus needs repairs.

After work, I brought the car over, and told him that I'm taking the trip out west in a week for my wedding and back on the honeymoon, 2,000+ miles, and that he should conduct a thorough inspection and notify me of any additional repairs. I knew the back suspension was bad (it is a Taurus after all) and the AC wouldn't run, but otherwise, I was gearing up for the trip and excited to have a (mostly) reliable car again.

Ever have one of those moments where your world seems to stop spinning? Well, that would about explain the call I received at 10:50 the following morning, notifying me that, well, my Taurus would not be making the trip, and "the next turn of the key could be the last." With trip and wedding plans to finalize, this was not the news I needed.

I called the mechanic back and asked if I could leave my car there a day while I decide what to do, then called my parents and fiance' to notify them. The new car search had begun. I stopped at the shop after work and asked if there was any re-sale value in the Taurus. Low oil pressure was main problem, but it looked like the issues extended beyond that. "Even if you put all the money in to fix it, you're still sitting on a 150,000-mile Taurus," summed up the mechanic. With that many miles and a plethora of problems, re-selling didn't seem too feasible.

Sometimes it seems that God has to bring us to our knees before we realize our need for Him. A good long prayer was in order, and I offered up several of those. Sometimes God answers prayer with a "no," sometimes with a "wait," but this time God answered with a resounding, "yes!" Many times it isn't until years later when you see God's hand in a situation, but this time, God's presence and provision were readily apparent almost immediately.

I decided to try to sell my Taurus for $1,000 or best offer. I cleaned out the car and put the for sale sign up, a sad day in itself when it's the only car I've ever owned. Early the next morning I received a call from an interested buyer. We scheduled a test drive time that night, but I could almost already picture the soon-to-be-looking-elsewhere buyer's reaction upon hearing the engine and of all the problems.

Yet another wrong expectation. I told the buyer of every problem I could, he and I took it for a test drive, and after throwing a couple prices back and forth, we decided on $700 cash transaction the following day. Wow! In a matter of three days, I went from devastating diagnosis to cash in hand. God is good! But...

But, that still didn't solve the new car problem. Well, God was working there, too. My fiance' and her father were searching for cars where they live, 1,000 miles away, just as me and my family were. It turns out that my soon-to-be father-in-law found out that a 93-year-old man passed away and his neighbor took on selling his 2001 Mercury Sable, which only had 45,000 miles on it and the aggressive driving history of a 93-year old. A prayerful decision was made to purchase the car.

Working out a long-distance loan, insurance, and registration was pretty challenging for a soon-to-be married couple with no credit history, but thanks to fiscally responsible parents and God's guidance, everything worked out with still three days to spare before the big trip, and we now have the money and the car.

Not everything works out as well as the above situation, but God's hand is actively at work in each and every one of our lives. Yes, it's nice when He makes it so obvious, but prayer is powerful no matter what the situation and no matter what God's answer. With the right perspective, it becomes noticeably clear that "all things work together for good to those who love God..." Prayer is powerful!