God answers prayers.
We get bus cards that basically mean we can use any bus in Birmingham (maybe even the whole of the west midlands) to get round. They’re about £55, but then we’re good for transport for a month. Otherwise you end up paying £4.40 a day, which usually works out a bit more than that because you have to have exact change.
Anyway, this morning as I got off my bus I realized that I had left my bus pass on my seat (in the bus I had just got off!) PANTS! After stressing out a bit, I decided I would wait on the other side of the road and wait for my old bus to get all the way into town and come back out to where I was – in hope that it would still be there.
Prayer time…It would be easy for someone to steal it and use it for free transport for a few days until we cancelled it. Prayer…The bus drivers never look at the photo part of the card…prayer. A bus comes I ask the driver to search it. Nothing. More prayer. I text my wife: “Please pray its on one of the next 3 buses” because I couldn’t wait all day. More prayer.
Then the next bus. I head upstairs to have a look. Nothing. PANTS! Then just as I am about to get off the driver calls me…”hey this was handed in to me…” and he’s holding out my bus pass.
My thoughts: Prayer works!
Five minute later I’m worshiping God with a new song about how God looks after me, and the day seems a lot brighter. I’ve even got a smile on my face. Then it dawns on me: “how would I react if I hadn’t found it?“.
Would I still be worshiping. Would I still be able to praise and trust God that He is still looking after me? Would I be smiling? Probably not. A few verses come to mind on this:
Deuteronomy 8.2 “Remember how the Lord led you all the way into the wilderness to test what was in your hearts”
Deuteronomy 32.39 “I wound and I heal”
Job 13.5 “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him”
Dan 3.17-18 “our God is able to save us from the fire…but even if He doesn’t we will not bow to you”
Oh Lord may I bless Your name when You don’t seem to answer my prayers, when things go badly. May I still trust Your protection on my life, and Your ability to work everything for my good and Your glory, even when things don’t go well. Amen.
