But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all your works. - Psalm 73:28
There is no place like home. And I am thankful to be back after having spent the last two weeks on the coast. Granted, the weather there is far cooler and the beach is right next door. But this is home. I am exhausted and still recovering from weeks of prep and many days of managing musicians and concerts and teaching a seminar on worship and artistry. All good stuff. But it takes a toll. Nonetheless, I am grateful to the Lord for the experience. God is truly good. Let me share with you just how good He really is to me.
Just before leaving for Camp Meeting, I figured I’d check the tires on my trailer to make sure they were at the right pressure and to ensure that they were road ready. As some of you know, trailer tires sit most of the year without being used and the UV rays from the sun cook them and cause them to crack and age. While inspecting my tires, I saw that they all had some small cracks and one of them was especially concerning. The problem was that we were supposed to be leaving that same day for Soquel and there was no time to go and get the tire changed. I prayed and asked the Lord what to do. I had a sense that God was affirming that He would get us safely to our destination. I trusted Him. And we made it.
A few days before leaving to return home, I thought about those tires. I prayed again. This time I did not have the same kind of assurance that I would make it home without having to check those tires or get them changed. But I knew that there was an RV dealer in Los Banos and I figured that if I could just make it to that city then I’d pull in and have them serviced. We asked God for direction and safety and left for home on Monday afternoon. I tried to leave as early as possible so that if I had tire trouble I could get it fixed and still be home at a decent time. We drove over Pacheco pass and pulled in to Los Banos. I was just a few miles from the RV dealer when a man pulled up next to us and motioned to us. I rolled down the window and he told us that our tire was “flat” and that we were basically driving on the rim! With the window down, now I could hear the grinding metal as the rim rotated on the hot street. Then we passed a business whose employees were all outside. They looked at the trailer tire in horror as we slowly made our way down the street. I asked them if there was a tire dealer closer than the RV location and they gave me some directions. At the pace of a snail we crept noisily down the busy street. I stopped at one point just to get a view of the situation and as shocked to see that the whole tire was gone. I later learned that we could not feel it blow out (which I was thinking I’d be able to) because the truck and the trailer had such good suspension.
I called the tire dealer while we drove there. Thankfully they had our size in stock and they could get us back on the road soon. We pulled in, learned we needed a new tire (obviously), a new rim (double obvious), and opted to change all of the rims and all of the tires. The employee saw my Christian shirt and opened up about why he raises his kids in church even while getting flack about it. We spoke briefly about faith and our kids and then he gave me a 10% discount on the whole amount. Less than an hour and a half later we were on the road and returned home in enough time to unload the trailer and get the kids in bed at a good time. This is why God is good to me.
Now at this point I’m sure some that some of you are wondering why I’d even leave the coast without addressing the tire issue. I get it. My answer is this, I trusted the Lord and heard His voice that He would get us there. I trusted Him and sensed from His Spirit that Los Banos was my target point. And you know what, God came through. I was in Los Banos when the tire came off, kind people informed us, directed us, took care of us, gave us a discount off of the steep price, I was able to witness for the Lord, and we got in and out without a fuss. It was as if the plan was set and we just followed the script. And now I’m declaring how God works when we put our faith in Him and let Him work out the details of our lives.
This weekend we will be blessed with Pastor Eddy Perez speaking the word. Eddy is the Conference Evangelist and a member of Clovis. He’ll also be our speaker for the upcoming evangelistic meeting we’ll be hosting in September. This Sabbath’s rally will prepare us for the work God has for us to do to build His kingdom. I’ll see you then!
Pastor Dean