My wife told me that the van was having trouble and she thought it was the battery since we have been warned by the mechanic that the battery was very weak. I agreed that the battery was a problem since twice in the last year we had to have it jump started. We decided that I would take the van and go to Sears for one of their famous batteries the next morning.
My wife checked on line and said the auto center at sears would open at 7:30 AM. I wanted to get there early because I was afraid that a long wait would make me late for work. In the morning the van started with a lot of hesitation and I worried that if it died on the way we would have to have it towed, but I was able to drop daughter off at high school and drive to Sears.
At 7:20 AM Sears was deserted. The parking lot was empty and the expected line of cars waiting to be serviced were nowhere to be seen. I drove to the bay where the cars enter the shop and parked. Afraid that I would not be able start the van I left it running and walked up the customer entrance door; the sign on the door said they opened at 8.00 AM. I was forty minutes early.
I was not comfortable sitting there a long time with the motor running and I was afraid if I turned it off it would not start again. The place I was parked felt wrong, it was blocking the entrance and if the van died there it would make problems for the mechanics and other customers. So, I drove around the parking lot for a while listening to music, and taking a few moments to pray.
I kept track of the time since I didn't want to come to the auto center and find myself at the back of a long line. I asked God what to do and felt it was time to go back to the garage bay door. As I came up to it I saw that there were no cars waiting ahead of me. I was still first in line. As I drove up the drive to the bay doors three cars pulled in right behind me. If I arrived a moment later I would have been the forth car and would have had a long wait for service! I was grateful that I didn't lose my place.
We still had a fifteen minute wait for the shop to open. Without confidence the van would restart I turned the engine off. It was a long fifteen minutes- I kept imagining the van not starting and blocking the entrance with what was a growing line of waiting customers at the service center. I kept asking God to let the engine start.
When the service technicians came out they asked for the key. I gave it to them saying, "I hope it starts. The batter is almost dead." "I'm sure it will be fine," he replied and got in and turned the key. The engine sputtered to a start. I felt that the Lord was saying, "Why were you worried about a little thing like that when I am in control?"
I am thankful that The Lord of All is in control.
