In 2004 our family lived in Watertown, a small town in south eastern Wisconsin, while Jax returned to college to pursue a Biblical studies degree.  We lived 45 miles from family, friends, church and what we used to call home, where the highlight of the day was an exciting trip with the kids risking our lives in the ball pit at McDonald’s or going to see the always unique spectacles of Wal-Mart.

Woo.

During our time there, God allowed incredible testing to come into our lives in the form of job loss and great financial difficulty, causing us to rely on and trust Him fully.

The college Jax attended in Watertown required him to serve, attend, and be a member of a Baptist church, and because we were already members at Memorial Baptist in Verona we were allowed to continue on at our home church to meet the ministry requirements for graduation.  Each week we drove back and forth from Watertown to Verona on Wednesdays as well as each Friday to spend time with friends and family, serve in and attend church, and then return late Sunday evening for Jax to attend classes for the week on Monday morning.

I was pregnant with our third child, and it became common place toward the end of that pregnancy for the girls and I to stay with my parents, and one week in particular seemed no different.

It was a Wednesday evening and I had stayed behind with the girls while Jax returned to Watertown that prior Sunday, when he called to let me know he was leaving to pick us up on the way to serve in AWANA, the youth ministry at church.  However, this phone call was a bit different in how he began the conversation…

“Okay, start praying!  I am leaving Watertown now, but there’s no gas in the car.  The needle is literally past E and we have no money.”

“Okay…” I said faintly, wondering what we would do.  I didn’t want to tell my parents but Jax was still 45 miles away and driving in a car with no gas.  Um, not sure what I was thinking because clearly my Dad would have to get his super-hero-tights on and come to our rescue yet again…

When I hung up with Jax, I prayed quickly asking God to bring him at least to Mom & Dad’s, then we could borrow some money at that point to get us through.

I never did mentioned my concern…I just held my breath and hoped for the best.  Even now I’m not sure what I was waiting for, but I didn’t say a word…not to anyone.  About an hour later Jax pulled up, and the shock on his face mirrored the same disbelief on mine, when he came in to get us indicating we were running late and needed to go.  We practically ran out, heading for church and still unsure how the car made it all the way there on empty and was still running strongly enough to take us out to church.

God is obviously in the towing business… but how much further would we be allowed to go?

We drove another 10 miles to church, figuring there was no way the car would go any further, but seeing as how we were late to AWANA already we would worry about it later and hustled inside.  As we entered, a friend met us at the front doors of the church and approaching Jax with his hand out stretched, asked for the car keys and didn’t miss a step when Jax handed them over and he headed out and got in our car.

This friend had no idea of our need.  He had not been notified of the desperate measures God took to get us there.  He had not heard any of the story and yet God used him exactly when we needed him.  God provided through this man, precisely when we needed it and exactly what we needed.

“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”   Jeremiah 32:17

A Mercury Sable with no gas rode for an hour straight…

On God.

The gas tank was filled completely…

By God.

A skeptical couple learned to trust fully…

In God.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”   Luke 1:37