The Lord’s Providence

Today I took my son out to run errands.  I had to go to the bank, Lowe’s and the drugstore…and maybe McDonald’s if the little one was good and wanted to have some play time with “Wonoud” (Ronald).  Since we have been home from the Philippines, we have noticed some strange noises coming from our car, but we just hadn’t slowed down enough to get them checked out.  When I got to town today, I decided on a whim that maybe I ought to take the car to get looked at first and then I could run my other errands.  I told the mechanic what the noise was and he took it for a spin.  He returned saying he thought maybe there was a rock lodged somewhere that was making the rattle.  So he put the car up on the rack to solve the problem and I told him “Why don’t you change the oil while you’re at it?”  He nodded and I settled into entertaining my son, proud of myself that I was helping my hubby out by getting the oil changed since he had been much too busy to do it lately.

Praise the Lord the mechanic decided to double check the brakes, because much to both of our surprise, there was no brake pad left on the right side!  The “rattling” sound had nothing to do with a rock, and everything to do with (hopefully I will explain this right) the fact that the caliper was rubbing on the piston, causing it to leak fluid (which would eventually lead to brake failure) and also causing the brake pad to wear completely to nothing!  Apparently the caliper had been rubbing for a long time and the problem had just finally snowballed to this.  The mechanic even said it may have been the reason my car was shaking on the freeway (something we had checked out repeatedly, changing tires etc. with no resolution).   It has been shaking long before we got it from Daniel’s parents and we were all beginning to think that was just normal for that car.  But in reality there was a serious problem underway and I would never have known my brakes were about to give out had the Lord not put it on my mind to get the car checked today BEFORE my errands.  So the mechanic replaced the calipers, rotors and pads and amazingly the car is not rattling or shaking anymore! 

Our trip to the Philippines reminded me of something I sometimes have a hard time remembering.  It is that the Lord has His hand on us every moment and He is our protector and the One who sustains us.  There were several times I was overwhelmed with fear when we were in the Philippines.  One time was in a van that had no defrost during a heavy rainstorm.  The driver could not see out his window, it was night, and he didn’t really seem to be bothered by it.  We went speeding down the road, clipping a pedestrian once and nearly running off the road another time.  I had to close my eyes and pray the whole time, fearing we would be in a wreck soon.  In that time and others during our trip, the Lord reminded me that He will decide when we are injured or worse, and only He will decide.  Until we are through with the work He has for us, He is going to protect our every step (including steps made onto potentially poisonous snakes—which also happened while we were there).

So today when I found out the condition of my brakes, my response was a bit different than it would have been before we went on our trip.  Before, I might have been upset about the cost of fixing the car or the inconvenience of having to wait over an hour with my restless 22 month old, but today I am simply rejoicing.  The Lord made me aware that He provided safety for my family by prompting me to take the car in, and by alerting the mechanic’s eyes to the real problem.  I praise God today for His providence.  I encourage you to look for the Lord’s providence today in your own life.  He is at work all the time, and shamefully we do not always notice or thank Him for His work.  What is He doing today to show His power and might  in your life?

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