The thought entered my mind without much fanfare. I should check the tire pressure. The timing was inconvenient, and I would have brushed the idea aside instantly if not for a long trip coming up. I reluctantly walked towards my car. It was a good thing I did.
I headed towards the closest gas station, but it didn’t have an air compressor. Because traffic was getting congested, I decided not to go where I normally fill up and instead drove to the second-closest place. As I pulled up to the air compressor, one of the workers was standing nearby. He offered to check the tire pressure for me.
As soon as he started inflating the first tire, air poured out of the valve stem with a loud hiss. Nothing could stop the flow, and it was obvious that the tire would soon be completely flat. My blood pressure shot up as I helplessly watched. But the man calmly pointed to a mechanic about 50 yards away and said, “Quick. Drive over there before all the air is out. You still have time.”
I didn’t need any convincing to follow his instructions. The mechanic promptly got to work replacing the valve stem, then checked the pressure in the other tires. Before I knew it, I was on my way.
As I was driving home, I couldn’t help but marvel at the chain of events that had to unfold for the tire to be repaired so painlessly. First, the thought to check the pressure came out of nowhere and wouldn’t let me go. Second, I was at a station that happened to have a mechanic as a next-door neighbor. Finally, the worker was standing right by the air compressor the very moment I pulled up.
I’ll admit none of this is important in the grand scheme of things. But I don’t believe it was an accident. I consider what happened a clear example of divine protection. A tire suddenly losing all its air on a long road trip would not be fun, let alone safe. All I can do is thank God for his wonderful care.
Imagine if I had ignored that initial thought I believe God planted in my mind? Could it be that we don’t see more such “God moments” because we aren’t listening to him?
I don’t pretend to understand the mechanics of how God works. We sometimes see his hand clearly, while at other times he seems distant and detached. Nonetheless, I’ve experienced enough similar incidents to know that God is involved in the lives of his followers and orchestrates events according to his purposes. How it all fits together is a mystery we’ll never solve, but we don’t need to. We can trust him, knowing we are secure in his loving arms.
This Post Has 3 Comments
Thanks for sharing. What a precious story of a loving heavenly Father caring for His daughter! Reminds me of my daddy (who is in heaven now) and how he always looked after my car — even after I was grown — when I was home for a visit. His way of saying ‘I love you.’ 🙂
Yes, that’s certainly how I felt, and I couldn’t help but thank God over and over again for his wonderful protection. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this testimony of how God is taking care of you. I continue to get amazed at God’s care for us even in the little details of life. And I am learning that when the small still voice (Holy Spirit) speaks to me, I better stop and listen. When I haven’t done that, I usually really regret it.