Last Friday I was driving a church member from a nearby community over so she could clean the church. As we got close we heard a bang, and the car’s engine started making a clacking sound (never a good sign).
I parked the car, and found a friend nearby who helped me take a look at it. We discovered the transmission belt had snapped. This meant the car’s battery was no longer being charged. It was possible to drive it while the battery held a charge, but after that, it would be completely dead!
In normal situations, this would be a serious problem….
but it was even more serious because I have a class at the Bible College starting Monday!
I immediately called a parts store to see if they had a belt in stock. It took a while to find the right part number, but they confirmed I could get the belt there. After that I called a friend who regularly works on my car, and he promised to come down and fix it that evening.
The next problem was getting to the parts shop in time. They closed at six, and it was already after 5:00! I took public transportation (not my car) and got there after 5:50 PM. Walking up to the shop I got a sick feeling in my stomach because the doors were closed, and all of the lights were out. But one of the employees was waiting for me, so I bought the belt.
The job itself was supposed to be easy but the mechanic had a harder time than usual getting the belt on. Finally he told me that one was too short, so I’d have to go get a longer one Saturday morning. To make sure I got the right one, he took two pieces of string, and tied them in a loop around the alternator . This would allow me to know exactly how large the belt needed to be. He then measured the rope with my first belt and found there was less than a 1/2 inch difference!
He decided to try one more time….and the belt fit!
Driving my mechanic back to his house I couldn’t help but see the providence of God in that situation
- The belt broke near the church
- A friend was nearby who could help me
- The store had the part in stock
- They had someone there waiting for me to buy the alternator belt
- I have a mechanic friend who is willing to come help on a Friday night
- and the Lord led us to try one last time
Every once in a while God gives us experiences like this as a reminder that though we don’t always see Him working, He IS at work!
I am grateful my car is running again
but more grateful for God’s reminder that everything works according to His plan.
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