“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
and Your faithfulness every night.”
-Psalm 92:1-2 (NKJV)-

The packing process

“Faithful” is one word that describes our 2005 Ford fifteen-passenger van.  If vehicles could talk, oh the stories our van would tell!  Up north on the Canadian winter—bush and ice—roads.  On down to the sunny south.  Up and down the East coast.  Out west to various reservations in the Dakotas.  Driven into an Alabama prison yard.  Stolen and recovered within 6 hours in a city of 1.4 million people.  Countless kids bouncing up and down on the seats on the way to church and VBS.  Instruments and luggage packed all the way to the ceiling and every nook and cranny available.  Over 214,000 miles of safety!

No extra room!

It only broke down twice.  Once was several years ago—in a safe and familiar place—less than a half hour from home on an evening outing.  The other time it broke down was this February—in our driveway, right next to our new-to-us 2014 van, less than 24 hours after returning home from a three-week ministry trip, the day after we bought the new van.

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever;
with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.”
-Psalm 89:1 (NKJV)-

Have you ever smiled when your vehicle broke down?  We did.  As the old van had just enough momentum left to get up the driveway and died right beside the new van, we smiled and some of us even laughed.  Why?  Because God knew, and He provided for us before we ever knew we had a need.  We have an always-faithful and amazing God.

License plates for the new van

We had no clue the old van was that close to quitting.  After having it towed to the local mechanic, we were told the engine was dead.  It wasn’t fixable and needed to be replaced.  We couldn’t afford a new van—at least not the one we ended up with.  But God provided through a brother-in-Christ who gave us the money we needed to purchase us another vehicle–before the old van died.

We stand in awe of the perfect timing and provision of our faithful God.  He’s so worth serving.  Next time you’re wondering or worrying about a situation out of your control, remember that He is faithful.  He will provide.  His timing is never late.  His plan is perfect.  Trust Him!