Gift Horses

Here’s something that Uncle Butch emailed to me the other day. I kind of got a kick out of this, and as it turned out, it got me thinking about things and it soon became clear to me why God wanted me to see it.

A man was driving to an important meeting and was running late. He finally pulled into the parking lot only to find that it was completely full. He began to pray, “Please God, please let me find a parking spot!” He continued to pray fervently as he searched the lot, until he rounded a corner and there, right in front of him, was an empty spot. “Never mind God,” he said as he parked his car, “I found one.”

I got a good chuckle out of that, but it’s like Uncle Butch said, it’s a joke, but it’s not really a joke. I guess this would be like me praying for God to restore my sight, and then saying “Never mind God, I got this insurance policy to take care of it.” Maybe God wants me to get an insurance policy and have surgery. I struggled with that concept for a long time. I felt like pursuing an insurance policy was showing a lack of faith in God. And maybe it is. To tell you the truth, I’m still struggling with it. What I finally decided is that there’s no real harm in trying to get the insurance, as long as I remember to keep my faith in God, where it belongs. If God wants me to see again, then I will see again. Getting some insurance so I can have a surgery might be the way God chooses to do it. Who am I to say?

How often does God try to answer our prayers and we don't even realize it? Maybe God prompts a family member to offer us money in a tight spot, and we are too proud to accept. Or maybe He provides an opportunity to get some overtime at work, but we are too lazy, or think we are too busy. Maybe a friend shows an interest in our baseball card collection, but we are too attached to our possessions. God is trying to help us all the time. Sometimes we just don't like His suggestions.

I’m reminded of another story. Hold on, let me see if I can find a copy of it.

Well, I found a copy, but it was really long and wordy so I’m going to paraphrase:

A minister was caught in his church by a flood. He climbed to the roof of the building to escape the rising waters. Soon, one of his parishioners came by in a rowboat.
“Hop in, Pastor, and we’ll get to safety.”
“Go on ahead, my son. The Lord will save me.”
The flood waters continued to rise and soon were all the way up to the roof of the church. A police motorboat came by.
“We’ll throw you a line and get you to safety!”
“No thank you, the Lord will save me when the time is right."
The waters rose higher and higher and the minister was forced to climb up into the church’s bell tower to escape the flood. A coast guard helicopter spotted him.
“Don't panic, we'll lower a basket and lift you out of there!”
“Please help someone else, the Lord promised to protect me if I kept my faith in Him.”
The waters continued to rise and eventually swept the minister away.

The punch line of the story is that the minister went to heaven and askd God, “I kept my faith, why didn’t you save me?”

We’ve all heard the old saying, “Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.” Examining a horse’s teeth can tell you a lot about the age and condition of the horse. It’s a good idea to check if you are buying one, but if someone gives you a horse as a gift, it's better to just be thankful for the gift and not try to judge the gift’s value. I guess the same holds true with God. We don’t know what His plan is, and you just never know when that horse might be a gift from God.

Psalms 34:17-18 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.