Answer 7 Late But On Time
Another moving testimony!
Sevilla and I had moved to Frankfort, Michigan from the mountains of East, Tennessee and were looking for a house. We were living in temporary quarters until we found a more suitable location, preferably out of town. The day before this incident occurred, the Lord showed me a nice home about seventeen miles inland from Frankfort which lies along the west shore of Lake Michigan. It was situated on two and a half acres of flat land, in the country, several miles from the nearest town, just the location we desired. While the rent was higher then we wanted, everything else seemed to perfectly meet our needs.
I had spoken with the Landlady and seen the house, now it was time for Sevilla to see it and to sign the contract. We had an appointment for 4:00 P.M. and a volunteer driver who promised to arrive at 3:30 to pick us up. It was a nice house, just what we wanted and we were looking forward to renting it and moving out of our cramped, disagreeable quarters into a sunny, house in the country.
However as 3:30 came and went with no sight of our driver, I saw our hopes rapidly fading. It is not an uncommon experience for us for people to fail, forget, or neglect their commitments. In most instances, we shrug and go about our business, but today, we needed to sign the contract before the Landlady rented the house to someone else.
I remember standing in the living room, intently watching the driveway for a sign of our transportation and realizing, with a sinking heart, that he wasn’t coming. The very moment I concluded we had been stood up, another vehicle pulled into the drive.
Several weeks earlier we had made an acquaintance with a man whose name I have forgotten as I write this narrative, although I shall never forget his face nor his Christian witness. At that precise moment, he stopped by for some reason and readily agreed to drive us to our appointment. Twenty minuses late for the appointment earned us a critical comment from the Landlady but we did sign the contract that afternoon.
You may object to this testimony on the grounds that we could always have called the landlady, offered our apologies and made another appointment. Perhaps! But the point I desire to make about this situation is to illustrate the Lord’s providential care for his children. He delights in every evidence he can give us of his love and tender regard for our needs and happiness. Too many times, we have experienced disappointment and rebuff from people, thus, the Lord manifested, that afternoon, his willingness to provide for our needs.
This was not an answer to prayer as we didn’t know we had a need, but God foresaw our need and sent perhaps the only man in the area who was willing to be used of God to bless others.
Praise the Lord and praise John Doe wherever he may
be today.