The problem was that our son John’s wheelchair was broken and he was having no success in getting it fixed. We tried to figure out how we could help. He had contacted the company who usually did wheelchair repairs and they were not responding to his repeated messages. He was becoming overwhelmed with all of his obligations in addition to the concerns for the chair and was not well physically. I decided to take on the repair company and give them no peace until they responded to us.
So I started my campaign with a note to the person who had promised John several weeks earlier that she would undertake to arrange for his repairs. I was hopeful when, after a few days, I received a note apologizing for not responding to my earlier messages as she had been out of the office. She would call me the next day, if I could give her an appropriate time. I immediately responded telling her to call my anytime and giving her both my home and cell numbers. Then I waited all that day and no call came.
The next day I tried again, calling both her office and cell numbers a few times and leaving messages as well as texting her. Still she gave no response. The following day I tried again. It seemed a bit bizarre for me to be calling from 540 kilometres (335 miles) away when John was there in the same city, but I would do whatever was needed to get some action. Thus I called again the next day, and I was beginning to become anxious.
John had an important appointment and informed me that we would have to go in the broken chair, because he could not miss this meeting. He knew that chair was not safe but he saw no alternative. What could I say? Praying for his safety and worrying about the danger, I continue my efforts to get help for him.
As I puzzled and prayed, I suddenly realized that we had not sent our monthly prayer newsletter. Somehow in all of the activity at the beginning of the month I had forgotten to prepare it. This was a resource that had so often proved so helpful to us. That morning, when I concluded my time of prayer, I composed the prayer newsletter and outlined the challenges that we were facing in getting John’s chair fixed. I ran it by Glen and sent it out.
That is when things began to change, although I was not aware of it at the time. First I noticed that on the note that I had received from the person who was supposed to be helping John, there was a 1-800 number that I could call. I tried the number and immediately was connected with someone who told me that she would send a technician out to John early the next week.
Boldly (for me) I explained that would not do. He needed the chair fixed now and could not manage without it, so would have to have a loaner while it was being fixed. She arranged for the technician to come with a chair the following day.
There were several other problems about the chair that I had mentioned in our letter and we received more responses that we have ever received to any of our prayer newsletters in the seventeen years we have been sending them out. People offered advice, support and helpful suggestions as well as assurances of their prayers.
One response was what I considered a wink from the Lord. One of our prayer partners informed me that he felt that Lord was asking him to donate some money to John and told me the amount. I had not asked for money and had not mentioned it at all in our concerns about the chair. Not surprisingly for those who have seen God’s provision at work, when the chair was fixed in record time and the bill was presented, it was for the amount of this generous donation.
Resources are available. We just need to use them.
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| Word Guild Award 2018 |
1 comment:
Quite the human story, Eleanor - true to life many of us, I'm sure. Hymnody kicked in for me, and I recall the line, "Why worry, when you can pray." And the tongue-in-cheek, "When all else fails, try prayer."
That was a wonderful response from your prayer newsletter family.
Praise God for His solution! ~~+~~
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