Around the year 1998, Brenda's aunt gave us a car, and we decided we needed to sell our other car, which was an older Plymouth Horizon. At church one Sunday morning, we told the adult Sunday class I was leading that we intended to list our car for sale in the classified ads, and we asked them to pray it would sell. But God didn’t see the need for an ad!
When we arrived home it seemed all the prayers had already put things in motion. It was an odd sight! We saw a family of five standing in our front yard.
After introductions, the father asked us if we had a car for sale. I said, “Yes we do!” and asked them how they could possibly know. They said they the car in the driveway did not have plates and maybe this meant it was for sale!
I quickly corrected them, pointing out that it was the one we were driving that was for sale. Soon we had negotiated a price and completed the transaction. The next Sunday, I had a great testimony to share with our Sunday morning class. I have only rarely been more amazed at how quickly God can answer a prayer!
Balloon and ketchup coincidences
Hot air balloons are a rare sight in our city. But on one warm summer day when our kids were young, the wind died. A hot air balloon then stalled over our neighbors' back yard. After much time passed, it finally drifted to the corner of our front lawn and landed. As the owner prepared to load the balloon into a truck a crowd gathered, and I snapped a picture as our sons stood watching. The next Sunday I showed the picture to our Sunday school class.
97
The hot air balloon on our neighbor’s driveway, with our three sons in the foreground watching the the balloonist.
Not long after, and not to be outdone, a couple in our Sunday school class also had a hot air balloon encounter when a hot air balloon landed in their backyard. It's as if God has a sense of humor. Even though it seemed hard to find any deeper meaning, the landings seemed fascinating, and they resulted in a great Sunday morning discussion on the subject of coincidences!
Another coincidence also occurred around this time.
Culture has always been a lofty goal for me, as evidenced by a fondness for blue jeans and the avoidance of fine restaurants. But still, even I find this next story embarrassing. One day, after a stop at McDonalds I went to the Menards home improvement store to pick up a few things. Then, on the way to the car I noticed a large vertical patch of ketchup on my cream colored polo shirt, a mess that had certainly been glaringly obvious to the checkout clerk 98
and others. The only fix was a trip home, and a change of shirts.
I wish I could say that was the end of the story.
The next morning, our local Christian radio station asked people to call in with their favorite pet peeves. One woman called in to say her pet peeve was when a “decent looking guy wears a nice polo shirt with ketchup down the front.” Of course I was sure she was talking about me, and I was so embarrassed! The blow was softened slightly by the words
“decent looking,” but as my wife and others seem way too quick to point out, she did not say “great looking!” Wouldn't it be another funny coincidence if the person who called the radio station would someday read this?
A child near death
One Sunday morning in church Brenda and I learned that the daughter of a couple in our class was in a life or death struggle. Callie, their little girl, had been diagnosed with pneumonia, and was listed in serious condition. We prayed for her, and trusted God to heal her. But then, on Wednesday night at the mid-week prayer service we were told she was in critical condition and might not last the night.
So those of us in the Wednesday evening service gathered at the front and knelt at the altar to pray more intensely for her.
I felt devastated by the possibility that this little girl might die, so the next day I determined to fast until such a time as I heard that Callie was okay. On my lunch break, I didn't eat, but used the time to pray and read my Bible. By the end of the lunch break I felt I had confirmation that Callie would be okay, so I returned to work encouraged.
When I arrived home, I was delighted to learn that suddenly on Wednesday evening, Callie surprised everyone by taking a turn for the better. By the next morning she was so healthy it was as though she had never been sick.
99
The timing of her recovery suggested that our prayer service the night before was indeed effective, and my additional fasting and prayer seemed unnecessary. I have often recalled this answer to prayer when I pray for people who are sick, or when I begin to feel like things are hopeless and my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling.
As I mentioned before, James recognized the dynamic that prayer has when followers of Christ pray for each other.
He instructs us to:
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” [James 5:16, NIV].
Jesus also alluded to the amazing power of prayer when believers gather together. He said:
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” [Matthew 18:19, NIV]
This is certainly the dynamic that seems to have been in effect the day God healed Callie. •
100
