Promises, Promises

In my March 28, 2012 blog, I put a picture of a car at the bottom of the blog with a line about it being a personal rainbow with more info to come.  Well, here we are 6 months to the day later and here is the update.

During the time I was unemployed, I would frequently get discouraged or down a little.  Never did I doubt God but many times I just did not see an answer to our problems.  So I would ask God for just a simple sign of encouragement.  The Bible says he cares about the birds in the field and He provided signs for the Israelites so I didn’t think I was out of line asking for a sign.  One day at the Costco parking lot, I saw a car that really caught my eye.  Sharp, high tech, sedan-like yet fast and different.  So I did some research and it was a 2010 Acura TL SH AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive).  Loved it.  That night Elliott came home raving about a car he had seen that day – same exact type!  From that day forward, it seemed that car would roll by right when I was feeling down or discouraged - and I took it to be a word from God that not only would He meet my needs, but He would grant me my wants.  Now that is getting on some theological thin ice but there are plenty of stories in the Bible where God granted in excess to His people.  I kept my prayers simple and said, “God, if it is Your will…”  Lucie and I went and test drove a couple and we enjoyed the dream.  Regardless of whether I ever actually got one or not was sort of irrelevant – God would send one by me right when I needed a lift and I would be encouraged.  Sometimes I would laugh right out loud and thank God for sending me a little rainbow to brighten my day.

Fast forward to present time and now I am working (thank you Jesus!) and I get a car allowance plus gas and toll reimbursement.  So I looked up local Acura’s for sale and found one in Philly.  It seemed the perfect car – color, options, etc.  But it was just out of reach financially.  I told God I didn’t know whether I should put the car allowance towards savings or “claim” His promise to me.  So I said I was going to go for it and God could easily close the door on me if I was not to have it.  I was fine either way and kept my prayers ending with, “…if it is Your will.”  After running numbers every which way, the dealer could not get a monthly rate to what I could afford and the whole experience with them didn't feel right.  I set a limit and refused to budge from it.  So we shook hands and I walked away (though they put a lot of pressure on me).  A little disappointed to be honest but I had to be true to my word – if the door was closed, I was not going to barge through it.  The very next day after not bowing to the sales pressure and sticking to my guns, a 2010 Acura TL SH AWD showed up online at the Delaware dealer where Lucie and I first test drove one – same color, options, everything.  It was a little cheaper than the Philly one (higher mileage) but I thought it just might get the price down to my range.  So again I laughed at God’s work and said, “If it is Your will….”  I contacted the Delaware dealer and it turns out, it was THE exact same car Lucie and I test drove months ago!  It had been sold but the new owner traded it back in within a month to buy a 2012 model.  How crazy is that?  So Lucie and I went in, signed some papers, and came out feeling good.  No - feeling great!  And so blessed.  It was actually cheaper than my budget so we extended the warranty.  And to “top” it all off, they gave me a Patriots hat!  So it was quite a day and quite a confirmation of God’s blessing.

Oh, and it was our 25th wedding anniversary too…