My wife's car sprang a leak. Radiation fluid spilled vigorously onto the garage floor. (I know it's called radiator fluid. I call it radiation fluid because its green, glowing appearance looks alien...almost nuclear.) I slid into my grubbies and lifted the hood of her car. After countless moments of shooing away our beagle and singing to the oldies on WMJI, I found the problem. There was a small puncture in the upper radiation hose.
I replaced the hose.
Feeling proud of myself for successfully diagnosing the problem and correcting it, I drove the car. It quickly overheated again. Spitting more toxins in the street and down my driveway and on my garage floor.
I started overheating!
So I went to the car parts store and bought a new thermostat. Took it home, put it in, and started the car. The car didn't overheat. Better yet, it wasn't spilling radiation fluid across planet earth. You can imagine my excitement. I was proud of myself. I thought I was "the man." I stood tall, looked at the work of my hands, and made some indistinguishable caveman-like-grunting-noises. Then test drove the car.
Suddenly...
...the dashboard lights flashed in my face and a dinging noise rang out like a church bell on Christmas morning. The speedometer and odometer needles uncontrollably, and happily, danced and jumped. I remember thinking... really? FOR REAL? I stared at the dashboard in disbelief with hands in the air when I should've been steering.
I parked the car in the garage and walked in the house greasy, sweaty, angry, defeated. I gave up. So I prayed:
Father, You need to fix this problem. We need this car but we don't have the money. In Jesus' Mighty Name, cast out this car demon.
I didn't want the car to break down on Mindee leaving her stranded. So I drove the car in short distances for a couple weeks. Every time I started the car, this unseen gremlin reared its ugly head in the form of blinking lights and sporadic beeps. I continued to pray for a successful exorcism.
Then...one day...last week...God healed the car. The speedometer stopped dancing. The lights stopped flashing. The dinging stopped...well...dinging. The Lord healed our car. It's running fine now...as if nothing ever happened.
God is good and gracious. He hears and answers our prayers. (In His timing of course, and according to His glory).
Have you ever experienced the reality of this truth in your life?