Manna From The Carwash

There have been many times in my life that I have experienced God’s faithfulness in both big and small ways. I love how God provides for us, even before we are aware of our need. Have you ever had an unexpected need met by surprise?  One of those times which stands out in my life took place a few years ago at Christmas. I made a mistake in my checkbook. Math was never my favorite subject, but I can usually manage to do simple addition and subtraction. I’m not sure, though, that I could do the new Common CORE Math.  I believe you have to be a rocket scientist, a brain surgeon or smarter than a fifth grader to perform such a miracle! I digress…back to my story.

I used to drive home from work for lunch, and to let the dog out. I would also pick up the mail and go through it over my lunch break.  As I was sorting through the mail, I saw a card in an envelope with no return address. Thinking it was an advertisement of some sort, I set it and some bills aside. I noticed a letter from my bank, which you can always tell is one of those overdraft statements. My heart sank as I ripped open the envelope to find the dreaded notice which said I had insufficient funds. I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened to me since opening a checking account at the age of fifteen. I could feel the sweat beginning to sparkle on my forehead (because I don’t sweat, I sparkle) and feel that sick feeling in my stomach. I grabbed my checkbook to begin scouring the numbers. Somehow, I was hoping it was the bank’s fault, but it wasn’t. It was mine. I had made a mistake in the hundred’s place and forgot to subtract the correct amount. I set it aside knowing I was going to have to find a way to come up with the money and get my finances back in order. It was Christmas, though, and being a single mom at the time, everything was already tight.

I went on to open the rest of the mail and saved the card with no return address until last.  I opened the envelope to see a beautiful note of love and encouragement from an anonymous person.  My hands began to tremble as I saw what else was in the card. It was cash! I was astonished to think that someone would think of me and love me enough to send me cash for Christmas. What was even more surprising, however, was that it was the exact amount of cash I needed to make the correction in my checking account. Tears flooded my eyes and joy flooded my soul as I read the note and knew that God had provided exactly what I needed before I even knew it.

So often in life we think we know all the details, but the fact is that although we may know some of the details, God knows them all. This past weekend I was running late for church and went out the door realizing I hadn’t had anything to eat. Hubs and I were attending the second service so I knew I was going to be hungry because our second service generally doesn’t end until around 12:30. Usually, that is not a problem, but due to a recent health issue I needed to have something to eat.  As I looked down at my car’s console, I remembered that when I had gone to the car wash on Friday, one of the workers had found a granola bar that must have slipped between the seats. I was so excited about that granola bar, and Hubs asked where it came from because we haven’t purchased this brand in a while. Without hesitating Hubs said to me, “You got your manna from the carwash.” It is true. Everyday God provides things for us in our wilderness, just as He did for the Israelites. They left Egypt not knowing where they were going or what they were going to eat, but God provided. We know there is more to the story, but the fact is there is more to all of our stories. When we stop and recognize what God provides for us on a daily basis, even in situations that we don’t know are going to happen, a new perception takes place in our hearts. It is the perception of faith and belief. Regardless of our circumstances, we can trust God to take care of the details. From the beginning, God has taken care of the details of situations which could have cost us so much more than we knew, but He sees the panoramic view and we only see the snapshot.