God’s ever-presence overcomes all obstacles

This past summer our family decided to drive from California to Massachusetts for a long, relaxing summer vacation. Our family had been planning this trip for a number of years and we were thrilled it had all come together. We had booked campsites along the way and planned some mountain biking trips as well. We packed up our company Sprinter van and left home, towing a boat I had built during the winter.

After filling our van’s gas tank in Amarillo, Texas, the van lost power and limped along the side of the highway. We arranged to tow the van to the closest dealer who could fix it—in Lubbock, Texas, 150 miles away. I rode along in the tow truck, leaving my wife and two children in a hotel in Amarillo.

After waiting in Lubbock for two days, I learned that we had purchased bad gas and the van’s fuel system needed to be completely rebuilt. The three-week repair and whopping $18,000 cost were only part of the challenge. I was stuck in Lubbock with our bikes and camping gear in the van, while my wife and children were stranded in Amarillo with the boat and trailer. And in just three days we needed to be in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to catch a ferry to meet relatives I had not seen in over 20 years.

After calling rental car companies all over Texas and finding not a single rental vehicle that could transport us, I decided it was time to get some real help. I called my practitioner. She reminded me that transportation is spiritual, not limited by the mechanical. Jesus walked on the waves and moved effortlessly to where he needed to be. She reminded me, “What cannot God do?”

Like Moses facing Pharoah’s army, I seemed to be facing an army of impenetrable circumstances. Looking out over the impassable “Red Sea” we needed to cross to get to Woods Hole, I sat down in the dealership waiting room with a firm sense that there was an answer. I distinctly remember not being concerned. I can’t quite explain it, but I just felt God was with us and nothing could stop our progress. 

At that moment I heard a faint voice and realized my mobile phone was talking to me from my back pocket. I pulled out my phone to see that Michael, a colleague from work, was on the line. Apparently, I had “pocket dialed” him. He asked how my vacation was going. “Well,” I said, “at the moment it is a bit up in the air,” and shared our predicament.

A few minutes after hanging up, Michael called to say that his mom and step-dad were heading to Europe for a month and would happily lend us their extended pick-up truck. Guess what—they just happened to live in El Paso, Texas. However, his parents were leaving first thing in the morning, so I had to get there today. It was about a 6-hour drive to El Paso, but I accepted the offer with no hesitation.

I immediately got a shuttle to the rental car agency, where I learned that I could not do a one-way rental to El Paso—it had to be round trip. Hmmm. We didn’t come this far to be stopped. Just then someone at the service desk chimed in to say that they had a cargo van that needed to be delivered to El Paso. It had just come in and they hadn’t prepped it, but I could take it as is. Thank you, Father! That cargo van allowed me to return to the dealer where our van was sitting, transfer all the gear in our van to the rental van, and get to El Paso that evening. I then had time to move our gear onto the bed of the pick-up truck and drive to Amarillo, arriving at 3:00 in the morning. After a few hours of sleep, I hitched the boat trailer to the pick-up, and we were back on the road. Three days later, we made our rendezvous with the ferry at Woods Hole.

At the end of our summer, we returned to Lubbock to pick up the van, complete with a new fuel system, paid for by the insurance company. We then drove to El Paso to return the pick-up truck, which we called our “miracle buggy.” 

This experience has continued to bless. As a result of this demonstration, I know that simple trust in God and His ever-presence overcomes all obstacles placed in our path. It is a light to carry with me to see that God’s hand is always at hand.