Blessings In Disguise

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Last weekend, my husband and I celebrated our three-year anniversary. It was a long awaited weekend away as we headed up north to our family’s cabin in the woods. It’s a get-a-way that we love and always look forward to. Little did we know all the challenges we were about to face. Our first night there was spent dealing with a broken pipe that resulted in water gushing all over the floor, along with other plumbing issues. Still, we worked together and fixed the problems. I like to think of it as teamwork. It was one of those things that you look back on and laugh about. In fact, we did laugh about it, all weekend long.

Despite the rough start, we were determined to have a great time, and we did. It was on our drive home on Sunday night that our evening turned upside down. We were driving down the highway and heard a loud “pop”. All of a sudden, Jeremy lost power steering, and the car began to overheat. We quickly pulled over on a side street, and he began to diagnose the problem. Right away, I found myself thanking God for giving me a husband who is so resourceful. Within minutes, he was able to see what the problem was and determine the part that was needed. The problem was that we were over six miles from the auto store, it was cold and windy, getting dark, and we had to walk. There was no way we would make it there in time before the store would close. The last thing either of us wanted to do was hitch hike. Frustration and a bit of fear began to set in, realizing that we might be stuck there, but we bundled up and started walking. I’m almost laughing right now as I type, remembering the situation and just how crazy it was. I mean, did this really happen on our anniversary weekend get-a-way? Yes, yes it did.

We had called a few people to let them know where we were and what had happened, and we knew we had family and friends praying for us. Sad to say, I don’t think we were praying all that much. We were frustrated and cold. We didn’t even make it a mile down the road, though, when an old, beat up Bronco pulled off to the side and asked us if we needed a ride somewhere. I don’t know about you, but it truly amazes me how God provides for our needs, even when we don’t ask. We were more than grateful and climbed in as he proceeded to turn around and head back in the direction he had just came from. We struck up a conversation with the young man (Richard), and within the first few minutes he asked us if we were Mormons. Smiling, we said no, but that we were Christians. This opened up a door for conversation that we hadn’t even anticipated. Richard told us that he was engaged to be married this June, and they’ve had some bumps in the road along the way. From car issues of their own to financial struggles, he just opened up to us, perfect strangers. As I sat there and listened to pieces of his story, I was humbled by his honesty and vulnerability. Out of pride and fear, I typically try to hide the areas of my life that would make me vulnerable, yet here was this young man, a perfect stranger to us, sharing his life and his resources with us. He didn’t have much, but what he did have was a car, time, and a willing heart.

We made it back to the parts store, and Richard not only insisted on driving us back to our car, but he also wanted to help us fix it. As it turns out, Richard is a mechanic, and he had just gotten off work. He had spent the last several months rebuilding his own car. Incredible how God works, isn’t it? It only took a matter of minutes to get the car running again, and we thanked Richard profusely for his help. We told him that we were praying for him and his fiancé, and we have been ever since. What could have turned into a mess of a night became one of the most incredible God moments my husband and I have ever shared. Just when we thought we were totally stuck, God showed up through a most unlikely source…Richard.

In those next few hours of our drive home, I spent a lot of time reflecting. First of all, how much of this life’s blessings do I take for granted, failing to thank God for daily? God has blessed my husband and I with so much, and coming face to face with this situation reminded me so clearly of that. Secondly, conviction flooded my heart as I thought about Richard’s act of kindness towards us. He was our “Good Samaritan” in the flesh! He didn’t have to stop. He more than likely didn’t have the money for gas that he spent driving us around, but something told him to pull over and help us. Do I respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in my own life so readily? Or do I quiet those promptings with my own reasoning, saying things like, “No, that can’t be what God wants me to do.” How many opportunities do I miss out on to bless others? Finally, I was reminded of the above verse, Romans 8:28. We had a weekend filled with unexpected “issues”, yet we both can look back and see just how God was using those difficulties to produce more of Himself within us…patience, faith, perseverance, prayer just to name a few. God’s Word is so clear to us in this one verse. God will work all things out for the good of those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose. Do you love God? Have you placed your faith in Him? Are you following hard after Him? Then that “thing”, that difficulty, that trial…God is already working it out. He has already planned for good to come out of it. Trust Him. Lean on this promise in His Word.

Although our anniversary story is somewhat trivial in comparison to the needs I know that some of you are currently facing, it served as a reminder to me, and hopefully to you as well, that our trials are often blessings in disguise. I pray today that you are able to see Jesus in your “thing”, that you’re able to see the good that He’s already bringing out of it. Today, I’m lifting you up before the Father, asking that He opens your eyes to see Him at work around you.

“Blessings” by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It’s not our home

‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise