The Upper Room Daily Devotion in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Tuesday, 20 June 2017 "Stranded in the Desert" Read Matthew 6:5-8
Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people can see them. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7 “And when you pray, don’t babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
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The LORD says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” [Isaiah 65:24 (NIV)]
While on a two-year trip around the world in a Volkswagen camper, I was stranded in the Sahara Desert for several days. The Hoggar, the track I was traveling through Algeria across the Sahara, is deeply corrugated. Driving on it is like driving on railroad tracks. The punishing roadway caused two shock absorbers in the camper to explode simultaneously, breaking the chassis. After sitting for three days, I saw a traveler pull up behind me in a small van. On the roof of his vehicle, he had some welding equipment. Unfortunately, neither the traveler nor I knew how to weld, and he had no welding rod. I prayed and then remembered the steel coat hangers I had packed away. With torch and coat hanger in hand, I climbed under the camper and somehow managed to weld the broken chassis back in place.
I discovered that the man with the welding outfit had started into the desert long after I had but before my crisis had occurred. This reminded me of the words of the Lord quoted above.
We never know what the future holds or what crises or difficulties might lie in front of us. But by faith, we can know that God is always present. In fact, God’s answer is on the way even before we call.
While on a two-year trip around the world in a Volkswagen camper, I was stranded in the Sahara Desert for several days. The Hoggar, the track I was traveling through Algeria across the Sahara, is deeply corrugated. Driving on it is like driving on railroad tracks. The punishing roadway caused two shock absorbers in the camper to explode simultaneously, breaking the chassis. After sitting for three days, I saw a traveler pull up behind me in a small van. On the roof of his vehicle, he had some welding equipment. Unfortunately, neither the traveler nor I knew how to weld, and he had no welding rod. I prayed and then remembered the steel coat hangers I had packed away. With torch and coat hanger in hand, I climbed under the camper and somehow managed to weld the broken chassis back in place.
I discovered that the man with the welding outfit had started into the desert long after I had but before my crisis had occurred. This reminded me of the words of the Lord quoted above.
We never know what the future holds or what crises or difficulties might lie in front of us. But by faith, we can know that God is always present. In fact, God’s answer is on the way even before we call.
Prayer focus: Stranded Motorists
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