“Ann? Oh, I’m glad I caught you. It’s a while since we’ve spoken. I just thought I should call you and ask how you are.”
“Well, yes Jane, I’m glad you’ve rung. I’m moving house today. The removal van’s been round, but I’ve still got lots of stuff in my garage and, to be honest, I’m not sure how I’m going to get it there. And… I think I’ve too much to store at my new house.”
“Oooh!” said my wife Jane, “I’d no idea you were moving today. I was praying about you, and something prompted me to ring you. Don’t worry, I’ve got a previous arrangement but I’ll send John round to help you.”
“Sounds like the answer to my prayers!” replied Ann.
-o-O-o-
Ann, one of our best friends, is a widow with a thirst for adventure. She’s known for being caring, supportive and a woman of faith, unafraid to pray into difficult situations. Her lively spirit led her to ‘up sticks’ and move to Hong Kong with her family for a few months, during which time she began to put down roots. On her return, she decided on a new start which led to her buying a terraced cottage.
-o-O-o-
So, in my delegated role as The Cavalry, off I drove to her house. I parked outside her garage, folded the back seats forward – so easy in a Honda Jazz – and began to load the lawn mower and other appliances…then away we trundled to her new home.
The cottage stands on the end of a row of three. There’s an unmade driveway on one side which leads only to Ann’s garage and to all three back gardens. She unlocked her overhead garage door and tugged. There was slight movement but alas, something was stopping the door from opening. It needed pushing at the top. Ann looked up at me, hoping I could shift it, but I was neither tall enough nor strong enough for the challenge. So Ann and I bowed our heads, and prayed,
“Lord Jesus, you know we’re in a jam right now (slight giggle!). Please help us find a way to open this door. Amen.”
As we looked up, two young men, six-footers with muscular arms, came walking down the driveway! We explained the situation, whereupon, with a big smile, they both pushed the top of the door and it swung open. Ann and I hugged for joy. It was a simple matter to remove the accumulation of moss and mud that had jammed the bottom of the door. We then unloaded the contents of the Jazz, and returned to Ann’s for more. Some of it found a temporary home in our shed, and I’ve still got some sugar soap that she didn’t need back.
-o-O-o-
Last week, Jane and I were preparing to lead Session 7 of Pete Greig’s Prayer Course. The topic was ‘Listening to God’, and we’d asked each other to cite examples of when God had spoken to us. It’s easy to forget remarkable incidences like this, from about 2016.
I get why an atheist would say it’s ridiculous. How could a Being create a universe governed by precise physical laws, and yet communicate with the mind of an ordinary lady in Brighouse?? How could he intervene in answer to the prayers of a diminutive man and woman standing on a driveway? Pete Greig explains why he does indeed believe that’s the way God has arranged his creation. That’s the Bible’s view and is the experience of the 24/7 Prayer movement which he founded. As Psalm 8 says,
“When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
(And yet) you have…crowned them with glory and honour.”
If it really is true that we can communicate with the maker of this incredible universe, what an amazing privilege this must be!
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