Cool Story No. 2

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

So onto my Cool Story No. 2 (and I do hope you find these as cool as I do)...

November of 1995, just a couple months after Jay and I got married, it was beginning to turn cold and it would soon be time for the nasty cold Midwest winter.  As I mentioned before, Jay and I had purchased a trailer to live in.  I know that if you haven't lived in a trailer, you probably have no appreciation for living in one...because I didn't until I lived in ours.  And quite honestly, I loved that trailer.  It was the perfect size for Jay, Gunner and I.  It had a spare bedroom which we used as an office once I freelanced and worked from home.  But as you can imagine, trailers are not known for their durability or insulation standards. 

It was getting a tad bit chilly.  The first morning I awoke to find frost on the INSIDE of our windows, Jay and I decided we had better get some LP delivered soon.  I made the call and was very disappointed to learn that since we were first-time customers, we had to prepay for a full tank of gas.  This was a problem.  A. Very. Big. Problem.

As mentioned before, we were 20 years old, I was still in college and working part-time, Jay was working full-time detailing cars at a local car dealership and helping a farmer on the side.  And although we found the stash of cash in the trash (great rhyme, huh?) in Cool Story No. 2, it was long-gone.  We had no savings.  We lived paycheck-to-paycheck and there was no extra.  We certainly didn't have the couple hundred dollars we would need (very soon because I don't like to be cold) to get the first tank of gas which would run the furnace in our trailer.  Jay's grandpa had loaned us a portable kerosene heater, but we were scared to
death to run it all night and kerosene cost money so we hated to be wasteful of the fuel.

One night, after doing our checkbook and after Jay had went to bed, I sat in the recliner and cried.  If you have known me long, you know that that is not something I do willy-nilly.  If I was crying, it was for very good reason.  I could not figure out how we were going to get the money to pay for that tank of gas and I knew we would be needing it very soon.  So I did all I could do at that moment, I prayed and asked God to help us buy this tank of gas. 

(Funny thing, as I am typing, I'm guessing that when Jay reads this, he won't even remember this ordeal because I was such a worrywart and he wasn't.)

A couple days later, I went out to get the mail and there was something from the insurance company.  It was a refund on a policy we had overpaid...in almost the exact amount we needed for the tank of gas.  How often do people get refund checks from their insurance company?  Cool.

I know these stories aren't earth-shaking or anything, but they are solid in mind from 16 years ago.  Why?  Because I asked for help and God delivered.  There is nothing too small or too petty to pray about.  He tells us to pray without ceasing.  I get that now.  I didn't then.  In 1995, I prayed when I needed something.  Now, I realize the power of prayer and am thankful for it...which has taught me to pray continuously.  Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find.  It is so cool.