The Story

I took my dad to the doctor a couple of mornings ago and was driving home after dropping him off at his home. I called my son’s office number to return his call but there was no answer. Had I gotten him, I would not have turned on the radio.

I rarely turn on the radio unless it is 4 p.m. during football season when my football show comes on. It was 8:17 a.m. when I flipped it on and this was the gist of what the speaker said.

He began, "I was in a car accident several years ago and was rammed from behind. On the way to the hospital in the ambulance, God said, "Don't buy a car." Nothing else. I was puzzled because buying a car at that moment, was the furthest thing from my mind.

Several weeks passed...no other word...I was borrowing my wife's car, my kids' cars, cars from people on my staff, with all of them asking, "Now why aren't you buying a car?" "God said not to." "Oh."

A lot more time passes...I figure maybe I got it wrong because nothing's happening. I start looking at cars. I go to one lot and drive a car; go back again, drive it; go a third time and after I had driven it, I'm sitting there thinking I really NEED a car...maybe I should just buy it. I'm staring at the dash and God says, "Do you want to settle for second best?"

I got out of the car and the salesman said, "So what do you think?" I said, "You don’t even want to know," and I walked off...carless.

A couple weeks later a man who attended our church that I didn't know very well, called and asked me to attend a meeting with him. He picked me up and as we were driving to the meeting he asked, "So, have you bought a car yet?" I dropped my head like, I cannot believe I'm answering this question again...and said, "No, not yet."

He said, "If you could have any car you wanted, what would you like?" Without thinking, I said, "One just like this one." It was much nicer than anything I'd ever buy. Two or three days later, a letter came in the mail containing a check. It was from the man. It said, "This check should be enough for you to buy a car just like mine."

The speaker said, "When you're waiting on the Lord, and He's silent, never assume He's doing nothing. He's always working. The question is if you are willing to wait for His best."

I had the radio on for 6 minutes…this was the end of his message. Dr. Charles Stanley was the speaker.

I have found that when God works, there is a sequence to events. Things don’t just randomly happen.

I didn’t just happen to be in Jeremiah in the class I’m teaching and get whacked by the verses in chapter 17. My son didn't just happen to not pick up his phone. I didn’t just happen to turn on this particular message. He didn’t just happen to be speaking on waiting. I didn’t just happen to catch the last 6 minutes of the show that contained this illustration. He did it all. I didn’t set any of this up.

There is a big difference when I do things and He does things. Usually when He does things, I’m looking around before I zero in on the person I’m telling about it and I say something like, “You won’t believe this but….”

None of this just happened. He has my attention. I’m connecting the dots. I turned off the radio and looked in my back seat, fully expecting Gabriel to be sitting there saying something like, “It’s cool…we’re right on time…just take a deep breath!” I laughed out loud…“ You know! You’re working! Yeaaaa!”

How do you do that when there are no clouds on the horizon? Not even a puff? You don’t. He does.

Hang in there…wait…expectantly. And connect the dots.