A Mini-Van and Mandisa

For the most part, you won't see a lot of posts here this summer.  I won't get into all my reasons now.  But I had to share something neat that God did this afternoon at the first Prayer Station of the summer at Lakewood Park. 

I was supposed to meet up with someone, but as I arrived at the park, I quickly realized they were not going to be joining me.  I was amazed at the fog coming in off the lake.  If you've been to Lakewood Park, you know how obvious Lake Erie is from anywhere in the park.  Not today - just a wall of fog.  It was also a good 10 degrees cooler this close to the lake than it was at my house, and I didn't bring a jacket.  To top it off, it took my about 15 minutes to find a spot to set up that wasn't swamp land from the onslaught of rain we have gotten over the past month.  I almost got back in the car to go home.  I was fighting strep throat this week and had a hundred other reasons to call it a day.

I knew I would kick myself all weekend if I didn't set up for a while.  I did.  The park only had a scattering of people.  I sat there and prayed and read my Bible for a bit.  A little over a half hour later, I was ready to leave.  I was cold, the park was empty, and nobody would ever know the difference.  I was about to get up and pack up shop when a mini-van pulled into the parking spot directly in front of me - about 20 feet away.  There were empty parking spots all over, but the van chose to park directly in front of me.  The driver turned the car off, but left the radio on.  Actually, they turned it up quite loud and opened the driver's side door.  I'm not sure what the driver was doing, they just sat there blasting the radio with the door open.  When the door first opened, I recognized the song right away.  It was "Stronger' by Mandisa.  The van was listening to the local Christian radio station.  As soon as they opened the door, the words blaring out from the song were, "Hold on just a little bit longer..." 

The mini-van sat there for just a couple of minutes.  The driver's door closed and the van drove away.  That's all I needed to keep me going until my intended departure time.  I almost wish this story would go on to say how someone came up, asked for prayer, and came to Christ.  Nope.  Not today, anyway.  Nothing eventful happened.  But that's not the point.  God does not always want us to obey for what results we can see.  Sometimes He wants us to stay at it just a little longer, not because an emotional event awaits us.  Sometimes He wants us to continue simply for the sake of obeying Him. 

I am continually amazed at the things God does.  If a Christian ever complains that they don't see God working or answering prayer, they need to be urged to take a step of faith into evangelism.  He is so good, even in the little encouragements in a mini-van and Mandisa.