Chapter Five
The Lord's Gas Station
The Great Mechanic
My Meal Barrel
Prayer Cloths? Fact or Fiction?
Angles Encamped About Us
Other Sundry but Wonderful Things
The Lord's Gas Station
In 1982, while I was working at the local Junior College, I pulled into the
parking lot and parked the car. I checked the fuel gauge and found that the
gas tank was empty. One thing I'd noticed about this car was that when the
needle got to empty, it was just that,,, Empty!
I had no money at the time since it was Wednesday and we received our
paychecks on Friday. How could I ever make it to Friday?
This car was a 1971 Oldsmobile Delta Royale which was one of the largest
cars Olds had ever made. This car was equipped with a 455 cubic inch engine
with a four barrel carburator. For readers who are not familiar with those
terms, it simply means that it uses a lots of gas. When you tramp on the
gas, gasoline goes down the carburator just as water goes down the toilet
when you flush..... I was getting about 15-16 miles per gallon with it
(around town, and 22 on a trip), which I suppose, isn't too bad for a
car like that.
My concern was this. I lived eight miles from work. Church was five miles
from home. Both consisted of mostly city driving. I needed to get home from
work I wanted to be in church for the Wednesday night service. I needed to
get to work and home again on Thursday and, of course, choir practice on
Thursday night. Then after all that, I had to get to work on Friday then
on to the bank and to the gas station. This is a total of 65 miles.
There was only one thing to do. Go to the Lord Jesus.
I told him, "Lord, the car is yours. You know my obligations. I'm giving
this problem to you." He honored the fact that I went to Him as a first
necessity rather than a last resort. I could have waided till I ran out of
gas, then pray for some nice person to help.
I pressed on with my duties and obligations. I was able to drive all
of the 65 miles with no problems. This amounts to over four gallons of gas.
Gas that God Himself had supplied.
God honors our faithfulness. He knew that in my heart I was wanting to
worship Him with the rest of the church (Hebrews 1:25). he knew,
also, that I wanted to provide for my family and needed to be on my job.
He was faithful and just to provide for me as He promised in Matthew 6:25-33.
In 1988, I bought a ten year old Oldsmobile Starfire. It had only 61,000
miles on it and the man only asked $400 for it. It was at a time when I was
in dire need of an automobile. It was truly a gift from God.
On taking it home, I promptly flushed the oil and water systems and refilled
them. Also, I replaced all the filters. I had never gone to this extent
before but I felt that it was something God wanted done to the car He had
provided. He later revealed to me why this was a very needed thing.
About two months later I decided that we would put the car to the test. I
packed my two youngest daughters into the car and headed for Florida. This
was about a one-thousand mile trip,,, one way.
We left Maryland and traveled south on I-81 through western Virginia, where
we drove through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. The trip
was comfortable and had no problems until we reached South Carolina.
As we were driving down I-26, I heard what sounded like a valve begin to
chatter. It was very loud, and I thought it could be very serious. Maybe it
was serious enough to force us off the highway and get assistance.
As I continued driving, the tapping continued on. I reasoned in my mind that
since this car was a gift from God, nothing had the right to take it from
me. Not eve, *satan Himself!
I prayed, "Lord, this is your car. You gave it to me to use. You know what
the engine noise is. You also know how to fix it. Jesus, it is my desire
for You to correct the problem now as we drive."
Within ten minutes, the noise stopped and I never heard the noise again.
That car gave me 42 miles per gallon and, except for once, I did nothing to
the car except general maintenance.
That one time was when I pulled an eight foot trailor to Maryland and back.
On the return trip, we had the trailer packed full. Several months later we
had to replace the clutch and pressure plate. Of course, this was because
I'd pulled the trailer.
I sold the car 60,000 miles later for $150. I was blessed from the start to
finish.
If you ponder over this, I drove a sporty little car for five years and
60,000 miles for only $250. That $250 plus $245 for the transmission work
is $495 which amounts to $8.25 per month. You can't buy or rent a car for
that.
Only a living and loving God can work out a magnificent deal like that.
My Meal Barrel
In 1983, I was just beginning a new job. The new employer was to hold my first
paycheck, but since they hired many new people, they got behind in payroll.
Many of us got our first check six weeks later.
This particular story reminds me of the old widow in 1 Kings 17:8-16.
Elijah asked the woman to bring him something to eat and to drink. She
told him that she had only enough to feed her son and herself. They were
going to eat it, she told him, then die.
She obeyed him by, first preparing him a cake, after which she would pre
pare something from the remaining meal for her and her son. She found that
each time she returned to the meal barrel, there was always enough for all
three to eat. She started with just enough for her and her son and, beca
use of her faith and obedience, she had enough to provide them all for
some time. God had supplied enough for their immediate need.
I knew that God hadn't changed since then. If He would honor this old
widow's actions, He would honor my faith and need.
Matthew 6:28-34 tells us the conditions we must meet for God to give us
our needs. We must "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness;
and all these things will be added unto you." This is quite clear I was
going to rely on His promise to provide all our necessities until my
check arrived.
Let's first understand that He is not going to provide if you are
lazy and not working. He will not provide if you are squandering
your income on things that you have no need of. Last, He will not
provide you with everything you want, but rather, He will provide you
with everything you need, if you seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness.
We had very little money at this time because of thep paycheck being late.
When I started my new job, my family had only a few odds and ends in the
pantry and refrigerator. My family consisted of the four children, my wife
and myself.
I took my last check from my previous employer to pay bills. I had only
$50 with which we purchased food. My wife put her paychecks into the
tithes, utilities, rent and an occasional jug of milk or loaf of bread.
From this point, we spent nearly six weeks waiting for my first paycheck.
Six people ate complete meals (meat, vegetables, etc) for six
weeks for fifty dollars.
We never went hungry nor did we become concerned about how we were going
to eat. Each time we went for food, there was always enough to make a
complete meal for the family. We ate full meals three times a day. Our
stomachs were always filled when we were finished eating and no left
overs (and that in itself was a great blessing).This continued
for six weeks.
The name Jehovah Jireh is definitely right for God. It simply means "The
God Who Provides."
Prayer Cloths? Fact or Fiction?
In 1984, we had an old 1973 Pontiac which was pretty faithful to us. One
day, we tried to start the car that we might run an errand. Try as we
might, the car just would not start.
In the late 1960's, I did some studying in Auto Mechanics in Baltimore,
MD. I soon found that if you don't keep up with learning, the technolog
ical changes in cars, you will soon find yourself in the same situation
I was in.
You know how it is. Electronic ignition and computers. Then someone it
seems, put the rear end into the front of the car. Then as if that wasn't
enough, he put the motor in sideways. They must be really proud of him
over at the assylum.
In 1992, I bought a '92 model Grand Am. It had a four cylinder engine.
Pretty basic, right? WRONG! When I opened the hood I just
stared at it for what seemed like an hour. "What's that?" I thought,
"It's got to be imported..... from Mars!" I only recognized three of
the parts which were before me:
-
1. the Alternator
2. the Battery, and
3. the Master cylinder
I couldn't even find the air-filter or the carburator. I did however, find
find what appeared to be funny looking wires goint to what I think were
the spark plugs. I thought, "Someone must have lost the air cleaner and
plug wires." I didn't know whether the big iron thing on the front was the
intake or the exhaust manifold..... 'till I found the one on the back
which was connected to the exhaust pipe.
Oh, I finally found the air filter in a little black box next to the
battery but I've yet to find that carburator.
Considering this, it gets far more complicated to diagnose the problems
with each new model.
Never-the-less, since I knew a little (very little any more) about
auto mechanics, I thought I would try to get the old Pontiac running. I
tried nearly everything possible.
The battery andalternator checked out fine. The starter was turning over
fast so I ruled that out. Then I began replacing the ignition system. I
replaced the plugs, points and condenser. I bought a new coil and
regulator. I checked to see if the choke was operating properly; and it
was. I replaced the fuel filter. My gasoline soaked finger told me that
it was getting fuel from the carburator pump, and the fuel pump also
seemed to work fine.
I didn't know what else to do, and since it was Wednesday, I decided that
it was time to find a way to church.
After church, I got with Donnie, Lance and Tony who were three good
friends as well as brothers in the Lord. I asked that they pray with me
concerning this matter because I knew that God could do anything. Even
start an old car.
One of them mentioned a prayer cloth. We couldn't find one so Donnie
pulled out the tail of the new shirt his wife had bought him and
proceeded to tear off the corner. We did this according to Acts 19:12.
We put oil on the cloth, not because the oil can do anything in itself,
but because it is a representation of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of
Christ. Then we prayed over it asking God's touch in the mechanics of
the car.
Since I'd been a prayer cloth skeptic, I planned a test of proof.
When I took the cloth home, and before anything else I tried again, for
about five minutes, to start the car. Though I had done everything I
could think of, it still would not start.
I got out of the car and opened the hood and laid the cloth on the air
cleaner. I felt that, if nothing else, the car might be a little warmer
during the night. As I closed the hood I senses that God just might do
something. I knew that He works in strange ways and just maybe this could
be one of those ways, so I began trusting Him to get the car started.
The next morning I opened the hood and the cloth was still there. As I got
into the car I thought, "Lord, this is in your hands." I put the key into
the ignition and turned it, and immediately the motor started. I listened
to it run and thanked God for His divine intervention.
As long as the car was in the family, it sounded far better than when we
bought it, and though we had many various problems previous to this, we
had no other problems since.
Do prayer cloths really work? Absolutely! They cause us to show our faith.
Without a measure of faith, we couldn't use the prayer cloths. When God
sees the faith in action, He responds.
God not only can heal our bodies, but He also can heal an automobile. God
is, also, the Great Mechanic.
Angels Encamped About Us
Psalm 34:7 says, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him, and delivereth him." When we are in need of protection, we have
help. Read on.
In 1991, my wife and I took our Olds Starfire (which we affectionately
called 'Ol Blue) and made a trip to the Satate of Maryland. We had a
fine drive getting there. Our return trip was a little different.
Just south of Roanoke, Va., we started to hear a rattling sound coming
from the motor. Several times I had tried to figure out what the problem
was, but to no avail. Since we were living on a very limited income we
were unable to afford paying a mechanic, should the problem get rather
involved. Needlessly, to say we pressed on prayerfully.
After passing Bristol, Tenn., we suffered a flat tire. This was no big
deal so we unloaded the back, removed the spare tire, changed tires.
After putting the flat tire into the car, I reloaded the suitcases and
resumed on our way with our little rattle as a persistent as ever.
As we approached Knoxville, TN., it was getting to be about 3 a.m. and
very dark. I thought I was seeing things when I noticed the road ahead
of us getting dark. I realized that my lights were going dim. My gauges
indicated that my battery was quickly going dead.
Turning off my lights, I exited on the first ramp I found, and in the dim
light of street lamps, I drove up the street and into a gas station. Of
course, it was closed. I called an associate pastor from our home church
in Mountain Home, AR. who in turn contacted a minister in the Knoxville
area.
About 9 a.m., two men arrived and charged my battery and led me to a
service station that was open. Upon inspecting the system, they discovered
that the battery wire to the alternator was broken deep inside the plastic
plug at the alternator.
The mechanic said that he never saw that happen before. Out where the wire
enters the plug, but not down inside as this one was.
After the wire was fixed, I paid the attendant, thanked the two men and
started out again. As we approached the first gas station, I felt it wise
to get our flat fixed. We stopped in at the station.
Here we unloaded the luggage, took the tire out of the car, and had it
fixed. The man at the station wouldn't change the tire so I had to do it.
I wanted the best on the car so the rest of the trip would be safer.
After putting the spare back into the car I reloaded the suitcases, then
finally, we were able to proceed on our way toward Nashville. Again, we
noticed the rattle.
Halfway to Nashville, we passed a truck on the other side. A car had
apparently been driven under the trailer. I was getting a bad feeling
about this return trip though I knew that God had His eye on us.
About five miles from Nashville we had another flat. I couldn't believe
it. The same tire. I thought to myself, "It is only flat on the
bottom.
As I went through the ritual of unloading, changing and loading, I felt
the car shudder as each big truck passed. Finally everything was
persistently chattering. I still didn't know what that was."
As we drove into mid-town Nashville, and we admired the beautiful city
skyline on our right, I realized that our engine rattle, which had been
with us for about 500 miles, was getting much louder.
When we approached the Laffeyette Street on ramp, the car stalled. I
drifted it to the ramp and backed it down the grade to Laffeyatte Street.
We got out of the car and walked to a telephone where I called the
Associate Pastor again. He told me that he would do what he could
and call me back.
A while later the phone rang. When I answered it he told me that there
were plenty of churches in Nashville, but it seemed that no one wanted to
help. Then he told me to stay by the phone and he would keep trying.
After a few minutes a man called from a little church about 12-15 miles
(I think) south of Nashville. He told me that he was sending two
young men out to get us.
Shortly after, the associate called and repeated the good news. There was
someone on the way. Again I thanked him for his help and sat with Teresa
in front of a vacant store, and waited.
Neither our minister now I could figure why nearby churches would not
help. We wondered why they would neglect the body of Christ. To me, it
was like getting a broken leg and not receiving medical attention. It
would be just ignoring the injury.
Now, let me set up the picture. There was the overpass and on-ramp where
my car was parked. Next to the ramp was a liquor store where people were
doing their business. Most appeared to be street people dressed in
tattered clothes, unshaven and unkempt hair. They would leave with their
brown bag, and occasionally tipping up the paper sack for a drink. Then
there was a vacant store-front, where we were sitting, a parking lot and
a phone booth at the other end. This was all located by an "X" shaped
intersection where the traffic was rather heavy. The buildings around the
intersection were old, some of which were very run down.
Teresa had never experienced anything like this before. She had never been
in the city in this situation before. She had come from Mountain Home, AR.
which was only a small town. The nearest city was two hours away. I knew
that she was very nervous and fear was trying to set in.
I prayed silently for God's protection for, I too knew that this was not
a good situation.
Knowing that help was on the way, we tried to relax, sitting on the curb
at the store-front while we watched the world go by.
As we waited, Teresa andI became concerned by what was taking place. It
seemed that there were those who realized that we were here stranded. We
noticed that there were several cars with young black men that would drive
by slowly and stare at us. Five or ten minutes would pass when they would
drive by again. This continued for some time.
I have absolutely no problem racially. I love all people. They are all
souls needing salvation. Though I realize that God loves them and that
Christ died for them as well as anybody else. I also knew that these men
were not wanting to hear about that.
Later, these men drove their cars onto the parking lot where they gathered
around the phone boot about eighty feet from us. There were twelve to
fifteen of them. Though they were gathered around the telephone booth, I
sensed that they were not using it.
I could see that Teresa was quite uncomfortable, so I didn't tell her
about what I thought at the time. I didn't want to frighten her. I put
my arm around her and reassured her that God knew that we were there. I
stressed that He had everything in control though we couldn't understand,
at the time, why He didn't allow us to stop in a better environment.
I remained secure that God would hold to His promise, though these young
men watched us. It looked like they were planning a strategy,,, but a
strategy for what?
These men stood there watching us for about fifteen minutes. They finally
drove off for no reason I was aware of at the time.
When our young rescuers arrived, they told us to quickly get into the
vehicle. They would send a wrecker to get the car. When I asked if it
would be alright, they told me that it should be OK.
About two hours after we arrived at the church, our car was brought into
the parking lot. I was somewhat amazed to find that it was completely
intact.
What was my concern? Though my Starfire was one of the cheapest cars GM
ever built, Ol' Blue had been customized. The interior had been totally
redone. There were chrome mag wheels, air shocks, and rally stripes.
Inside, there was an AM/FM Stereo tape deck, and a rather expensive CB
radio. In the secluded area where it was located (between the overpass
and the liquer store), it could very easily have been stripped.
The associate pastor payed the towing bill. Later, he said we were to repay
him only if we the leading of the Lord to do so. We were, by this
time running low on our financial reserve. We couldn't afford to pay for
it. We had placed it all into God's hands many hours before.
We felt the Love of God working through the congregation of that little
church. They rallied around us, and for us. We were given food to eat that
evening and places to sleep.
We attended the church services the next morning which we enjoyed
thoroughly. We could see that they had a true and sincere love for
God and they could worship in freedom and liberty.
After the morning service, a woman came to us and invited us to lunch
where she would ask her husband, who was apparently a mechanic, to look
at the car.
Now, don't get excited about us planning to do work on the Lord's Day.
Remember Luke 14:5. My ox fell into a ditch. We had to get it out so we
could continue on our way. My ox was Ol' Blue. The ditch was the disrepair
which the car was in and we had to fix it, or get it out.
During lunch, she and her husband talked with us about the racial unrest
and dangers in the area where we had broken down. They informed us that
that particular area of town was extremely dangerous for whites. There
are many situation arising from discrimination and prejudice.
As they told us of the racial turmoil in that area we all agreed that we
were very blessed to have gone through what we had and still be in good
health.
At that same time we all seemed to wonder why those men attack us. Almost
simultaneously, we came to the same conclusion. Those men were probably
not watching just a man and a woman, but also, a band of angels who were
around us. When we left, they apparently guarded the car, too, since Ol'
Blue was untouched.
After lunch, we drove to the church to see what might be wrong with Ol'
Blue; my ox.
After checking various things, we opened the distributor cap. When the cap
was lifted, the rotor fell out. We looked for the screws that were to hold
the rotor in place but there were none to be found.
The rotor was so extremely worn that it should never have worked at all,
let alone get us nearly 500 miles from Roanoke to Nashville.
The small tab on top of the rotor was a quarter inch shorter than it
should have been. The underside that fits over the distributor shaft had
nearly a quarter inch of play. This was clearly our noise.
We rode to an auto parts store which happened to be open. We purchased a
new rotor and condenser and our new friends would not allow us to pay for
them. As we were leaving that evening, this beautiful couple handed us
some cash. The Lord had apparently allowed them to realize our financial
plight. Without this assistance, we would never have made it back to
Mountain Home.
I thank and praise God for His protecting band of angels which He promises
to hav encamped about us. I appreciate the many caring people who took
care of us and provided for us. These people were true believers. They
were showing true love. We were in need and they provided. They did this
not just for us, but to Christ, also (Matthew 25:34-40).
To Continue Chapter Five
Introduction to Angels Encamped About Me, Too!
Chapter One - Motorcycle Madness
Chapter Two - Bumper Cars
Chapter Three - Behind A Badge, But Under The Blood
Chapter Four - God Does A Body Good
Chapter Five - Other Sundry But WOnderful Things
Chapter Six - Weather or Not
Chapter Seven - Whooooo Acts Like A Devil?
Email: Jots 'n' Tittles Ministries