No Car Today

I got halfway to Columbia on Wednesday and got a phone call indicating that the dealership decided to show the car to one more customer and they would let us know if they could sell it to at the close of business on Wednesday. We did not get a phone call on Wednesday night but Thursday morning found out it was sold. The car dealer did not keep his word. He had verbally committed to sell us the car on Tuesday night.

When I got the phone call I immediately felt like I was supposed to spend some time praising Him. I put on the radio and the song "More Than Enough" was on. He IS more than enough!

I am learning a few lessons through this process.

I was reading in the Psalms yesterday morning in Columbia before I found out the news and these two verses jumped off the page:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 106:1

On the way home I turned on the radio again (my iPod was dead) and a few of the lyrics stuck with me:

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You Jesus, bring the rain

Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin
Oh, hold me Jesus, I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

So here's what a small part of what this circumstance is teaching me:

God's justice is much better than mine. Love does not take into account a wrong suffered - even when there was a wrong suffered! :)

God says "No" to a prayer request when that is how He is most glorified. I am most blessed when He is most glorified.

God will bring me good things and I cannot possibly know what is good for me but He does! He is always good. He is infinitely wise, tender and compassionate.

Now as I move past the disappointment I am moving into a place of waiting. He has given us a huge gift. We had been eating, breathing, thinking, speaking and talking car from Saturday to Thursday. Stephen said to me on the phone Wednesday night, "I cannot go through this again." The great thing is, we don't have to.

My mom's boyfriend, Larry, has a friend named Gary (yes, I know it rhymes) and he is a car dealer. He has promised to give us what we were previously offered for our X-Terra (and that was a generous offer). He has also agreed to find a 2006 Pilot and says it will likely have less miles and will be for less money. He said we just need to be patient and that it may take weeks, not months. He said to just keep my cell phone on!

So now, we find ourselves in a waiting pattern. I've been in this place more times than I can count as an adult and have never found it pleasant but am learning to be content in the wait. I have been given a gift. I do not have to search for a car. I do not have to worry that our car will not be worth as much as the SUV market gets even more soft. I do not have to even think about a car. I just have to wait on a phone call. That is a gift. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.

I will struggle to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and not think about the car but I know that He can be trusted and I know He wants to give us good things. What more could I ask for?