I love the idea of having 24-hour road service. There are five women in our home and I don’t want any of them ever to be stranded on a dark and lonely stretch of road. I don’t want my sons stranded either. Dan was on the way to church the other day and the Jeep died—just stopped running. He had barely rolled to a stop when Steve Massengill, one of the men of our church—rolled up in his pick-up and offered roadside assistance. Sunday night he offered to help me get the battery on the charger. Monday morning he picked me up and helped me get the Jeep to the shop for repair.
It’s been that way all my life. I have been “broken down” in more ways than one and it seems that God always arranges someone to be there to help me. He may one day choose to allow me to be alone and without help and I will not charge Him with unfaithfulness, but it warms me to think how many times He has sent the right person at the right time in the right place and equipped him with just the right skill or experience to help me with what I need.
A few years ago I was talking with a friend who had an old van and a large family and had returned from a long trip. He had had some mechanical difficulty. He was able to do the repair himself by the roadside, but if he had needed a tow there would not have been enough room in the truck for his large family.
“Do you have AAA roadside assistance?” I asked.
“No, can’t afford it.”
I said, “I tell you what. If you ever get into the situation again, keep your number in my wallet and call me. I will do whatever I can to help you. You consider me your 24-hour roadside assistance. I will do whatever needs to be done to get help to you. You can count on me.”
My friend looked me in the eye and said; “Pastor, the same goes for you. If you are ever broken down with your family and you need help and you don’t know what to do, you keep my number with you and call me. I will do the same for you. You can count on me.”
This he spoke with gravity and deep sincerity, looking me directly in the eyes and then he extended his hand and gave me a firm handshake. There was a wordless fraternity between us that day. It’s nice to have someone that you can call on when you are trouble. It’s even nicer to be the kind of person others can call on when they are in trouble.
You may even be the answer to someone’s prayer that way.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
August 24, 2010
As I read this I thought about how we are broken down and how the Holy Spirit is better than AAA. We are rescued before we even know we are broken. [Ephesians 1:3-10] Thanks for the thought provoking post.