[Winman]

I just want to thank the Lord for yet again answering my prayers. My old used car was in pretty bad shape and needed some major repairs. I had gotten estimates and was torn whether to fix up this car I really like, or just invest in a new used car. I cannot afford a new car.

I have been praying and asking the Lord the last few weeks whether I should fix this car up, or just buy a new one. I asked the Lord if he wanted me to buy a new car, would he please point out a good reliable vehicle for me.

Now, this may sound foolish, because I did not even look at ads for cars in the paper or anything like that. I just kind of kept my eyes open for cars with For Sale signs on them.

The shop I had gone to for the estimate had a really nice young man who helped me. He really seemed up front and honest which is the quality I look for in a mechanic. My younger brother owns a auto repair shop down in North Carolina, and I have worked in his shop some, so while no expert, I know a little about cars and how repair shops operate. I was really impressed with this young man. For one thing, he gave me a list of all the needed parts and said if I purchased them myself it would save me a lot of money. Now that is something most repair shops do not do, because most mark up the price of parts anywhere from 25% up to 100%. So I was impressed this young man was trying to save me money without me even asking.

Anyway, that was last week. Over the weekend I was still a little torn about spending so much money on my car which probably will not last too much longer no matter what I do. I prayed each night again, that if the Lord thought I should buy a new used car, would he please show me one.

I really didn't see any used cars, and I didn't read ads, just continued to look for cars with For Sale signs as I drove around. I didn't see any.

So today after work I go to buy the parts the young man had listed for me. The very helpful young man at the auto parts store found some, but could not find others, as the parts names were listed differently on his computer. Plus, I needed a little more info on some parts concerning size 1" or 1 1/16" for example.

This auto parts shop was only a block away from the repair shop, so I asked the young man at the parts shop to wait, and I would go get more detailed info from the repair shop on the parts I needed.

When I walked in the repair shop, the same young man who had helped me last week was kneeled down on the floor writing a For Sale sign with a magic marker. I asked, "what do have for sale?". He said, "that Honda Accord out in the parking lot". I asked him if it was a good car. He said it was a great car and they had just finished putting new brakes, and tie rods on it, and he was just getting ready to put the For Sale sign on it. We went out and looked at it, it had a very minor dent above the right rear tire, but other than that the car was in very good condition. The young man told me he had replaced the head gasket last year, and although the car was a little older, it ran fantastic and did not burn or leak oil, water etc... It had what looked to be very new tires as well.

Anyway, the price he wanted was almost exactly what I had expected to pay for repairs. So, I gave the young man a deposit, and I will pick the car up Friday.

Now some may think this a coincidence, I do not. I believe the Lord led me to this car. I was actually amazed when I walked in and saw this young man on the floor writing a For Sale sign out. And the car is really nice, I looked it over good, started it up. It seemed to run very well. He told me the only problem it might have is the alignment as they had just installed new tie rods, but if I experienced any shimmy he would set the alignment for free. Wow.

I truly believe in consulting the Lord about almost everything I do. When I need something, I ask him to provide it. And then I just wait for him to provide it. Most people would probably think I am a fool, but the Lord has answered prayers like this for me many, many times. I don't think there is anything too small to ask God for, and I believe God is honored to help us if we only ask.

So, I wrote this just to encourage others to always pray for what you need, and believe God will provide. And I want to give the Lord all the praise and thanks for once again answering my prayers.