Trusting in the Lord: Stolen Car Testimony
Deep down, we direct our disappointments toward God--thinking that somehow He let us down. We trust God with our eternal life; why then can we not trust Him amid the adversities of daily life?
Excerpt from Those who Trust in the Lord Shall not be Disappointed
Stolen Car Testimony
Our car was stolen out from under our carport, and we had no theft insurance. With everyone thinking it was too late, including the Sheriff Department, this was a real temptation to be disappointed. It was a fact that the car was gone, and after two weeks the officers were insistent that it was already in Mexico.
Serious thefts were going on all around us—saddles, horses, horse trailers… There were all kinds of emotions involved to contend with—especially the fear of thinking, "if this could happen to us, what else could happen?" But fears, reasoning and doubt thoughts have to be stopped because they always precede and open the door to disappointment.
I can remember the night that Jack and I discussed the situation and finally came to the conclusion that there can be no "what ifs" with the Lord. We determined that night that even though it looked to be too late, we were going to trust God to work it out. We prayed and asked God to forgive and convict whoever had taken the car, and we chose to forgive them according to the Word.
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. John 20: 23
One week later a young man turned himself in, saying that he had stolen a car and a company pickup. He was brought to our house where he confessed to us, "I’ve stolen all my life, but this is the first time I have ever felt guilty."
He couldn’t remember exactly where he had left our car since he was stumbling drunk that night, but he did recall that it was left on a rodeo grounds. After doing some investigating, we found that a little community called Elm Grove, located about fifteen miles from Brownwood, had a rodeo the weekend before. And sure enough, there on the rodeo grounds was our ’64 black Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe, without a dent or a scratch on it. The only thing that we could find changed was that it had a full tank of gas in place of the almost empty tank when it was taken!
The time came that we weren’t disappointed, but the temptation was certainly there, because it appeared to be too late. It is worth anything it takes to ignore negative feelings, to refuse to entertain fear over what appears to be obvious and to choose not to be disappointed.
© 2006, Peggy Joyce Ruth
http://www.peggyjoyceruth.org
Stolen Car Testimony
Our car was stolen out from under our carport, and we had no theft insurance. With everyone thinking it was too late, including the Sheriff Department, this was a real temptation to be disappointed. It was a fact that the car was gone, and after two weeks the officers were insistent that it was already in Mexico.
Serious thefts were going on all around us—saddles, horses, horse trailers… There were all kinds of emotions involved to contend with—especially the fear of thinking, "if this could happen to us, what else could happen?" But fears, reasoning and doubt thoughts have to be stopped because they always precede and open the door to disappointment.
I can remember the night that Jack and I discussed the situation and finally came to the conclusion that there can be no "what ifs" with the Lord. We determined that night that even though it looked to be too late, we were going to trust God to work it out. We prayed and asked God to forgive and convict whoever had taken the car, and we chose to forgive them according to the Word.
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. John 20: 23
One week later a young man turned himself in, saying that he had stolen a car and a company pickup. He was brought to our house where he confessed to us, "I’ve stolen all my life, but this is the first time I have ever felt guilty."
He couldn’t remember exactly where he had left our car since he was stumbling drunk that night, but he did recall that it was left on a rodeo grounds. After doing some investigating, we found that a little community called Elm Grove, located about fifteen miles from Brownwood, had a rodeo the weekend before. And sure enough, there on the rodeo grounds was our ’64 black Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe, without a dent or a scratch on it. The only thing that we could find changed was that it had a full tank of gas in place of the almost empty tank when it was taken!
The time came that we weren’t disappointed, but the temptation was certainly there, because it appeared to be too late. It is worth anything it takes to ignore negative feelings, to refuse to entertain fear over what appears to be obvious and to choose not to be disappointed.
© 2006, Peggy Joyce Ruth
http://www.peggyjoyceruth.org
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