Ok here it is! Just one story, of hundreds, that shows how God has worked miracles in my life!
It was hot. 100 degrees f. I was driving in a 4WD truck (called a ute in Aus) through the desert-like country side of Western Australia. It was supposed to be a 3 day drive. This truck had no air conditioner, and the speakers only worked on one side, so we were all partially deaf in our left ears by the end.
I was part a procession of trucks carrying my team up to the Kimberley to work with the Aboriginal people. We were on a tight schedule so we could make it in time to help with an Aboriginal church convention that started in a few days.
After a few hours of driving, and washing down a variety of different drinks to keep us cool, it was time for a bathroom break. In true outback road trip fashion, we pulled to the side of the road; girls got the bushes on the left side of the road, and boys went to the right.
After loading back up, the truck I was driving wouldn’t start! I waved down my fellow staff and we went through some troubleshooting when we realized something horrible happened….. this truck is a diesel engine…. and we had put gasoline in it.
Panic set in for a few of us… we were going to miss the church convention, and probably destroyed this expensive vehicle. So we unloaded the trucks again, set up camp right there in the bushes on the side of the road, had some time of prayer and worship, and called a tow truck in the morning.
The team leader realized that she actually had friends in a nearby town so we took the truck there. When her friends saw our dilemma, they called one of their friends who was a mechanic.
The mechanic arrived and started to check on the engine of the truck. We found out that he was a Christian… and he was from the Philippines! Some of us had been to the Philippines before so we quickly befriended him and practiced some tagalog phrases with him. He was able to drain the fuel from the engine and said we were very lucky that it was gas in a diesel rather than the other way around… otherwise the car would have been destroyed.
After a few hours the truck was good to go and the mechanic told us that he didn’t want us to pay for the repair at all! Since we were on a tight budget, this kindness blessed us so much!
We made it to our destination in time for the church convention! The fact that the car simply refused to start instead of giving out while we were driving was a miracle in itself! God was with us the whole time: protecting us, reminding the team leader about her friends nearby, having our mechanic be a Godly man who wanted to help us free of charge, and making sure we got to our destination in time.
God is a close friend and kind Father, but He is also a fierce protector. I’ve been able to see His protection in my life in many, many situations. How have you seen God’s protection in your life?
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1