Providence Loud and Clear

by Tracey McMahan

I love to hike, and so last month I was excited to hear about an organized hike to Chimney Rock scheduled for today. I was one of the first people to sign up. I paid my $15 and happily accepted my official t-shirt and complimentary water bottle.

This morning I woke up early and filled my new hip pack with snacks, sunscreen and lip balm. I loaded the car and started it up. As I backed out of the garage, I noticed that my automatic windows weren’t working, and I didn’t have dash lights or headlights. These are not good signs. I drove to the end of the block, made a U-turn and headed back home fearing the worse – a bad alternator.

I remember briefly asking, "Lord, am I not supposed to go on this hike?", but I was determined. I parked the car in the garage, closed the automatic door and unloaded my gear. I ran upstairs and grabbed the keys to my other vehicle.

As I climbed into the other car, I pressed the garage door opener, and then turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. I pumped the gas pedal and cranked the engine. "It’s just cold," I mused, so I tried again. Still nothing. "Lord, what’s going on? Am I not supposed to go on this hike?" But I wasn’t ready to quit. So I waited and tried the car again. And waited and tried again. And again. Finally it started – success!

About this time I smelled exhaust and started to cough. I glanced behind me and discovered that the garage door had failed to open. "This can’t be good," I muttered. I climbed out and quickly opened the other garage door, coughing from all the fumes. At the same time I kept pressing the second garage door opener. The batteries were good, the motor was running, but the door would not engage. "This is ridiculous!" I thought. "Really, Lord? No hike?"

But I had yet another idea. I disconnected the garage door from the opener, and even though the door didn’t appear to be locked, it would not budge. So I finally admitted defeat and accepted the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere. And then I did what any sensible middle-aged woman would do. I sat down on the cold, hard floor and pouted. "Okay, Lord, I give up. I guess I’m not supposed to go on this hike."

By this time it was too late anyway. The hike was about to start and I was still 30 minutes away with a problem car, a broken garage door, a hacking cough, and a defeated spirit.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? You’ve got a plan in mind, something you desire to do, a task you hope to accomplish, and one thing after another seems to get in your way – deterring your best efforts and preventing you from accomplishing your goal. And you wonder, why. Why, through no fault of your own, is nothing working out? Why aren’t things turning out the way you planned? Why does God seem to be saying "No" at every turn?

Because I believe in the providence of God, I believe that everyday things happen with some purpose in mind. If I had set out to make that hike, maybe something dramatic would have happened, like a car accident on the way to the park. Maybe I’d have sprained my ankle on an uneven bend in the trail. Maybe my alternator would have gone out when I was miles away. Or maybe God just wanted me to stay home and write this story so that you would be assured you are not alone amidst the everyday trials and frustrations of life.

All I know for certain is that I was not supposed to go on that hike. And even though I’ll never know the reason why, God knows, and that’s good enough for me. I can rest in His providence. I can trust His plan. And so, my friend, can you.