Exceedingly, Abundantly, Above All that We Ask or Think
I was looking through the “jockey box” of our Cruze yesterday when I came across a slip of paper with data pertaining to the car's shipment from the factory. I thought little of it until I read “Ship To LORD” on the bottom, which reminds me of how we came to own this car, a story of God’s faithfulness and desire to provide when we choose to accept and be grateful for what we have, and wait on His provision and timing.
We bought our first Chevy Cruze after liking one we'd rented in Alaska in 2015. We quickly racked up a lot of miles on it, and since it wasn’t a Honda or Toyota, we knew we should get a new one before it started “nickeling and diming” us. We’d heard about a diesel Cruze that would run longer and get better mileage, so I began casually searching online. There was one in Texas and one at a dealership in Helena, MT., which had been sitting on the lot for several months. I contacted them, and I knew it was the car for us, but I couldn’t negotiate the price I wanted to pay with our trade. I told the dealer I’d think about it a while and I went on with life, knowing that if the timing and price were right, God would make it happen and I’d feel better about it.
Often, especially with big purchases like cars and real estate, we get emotionally invested. We see ourselves behind the wheel or standing in the kitchen, and focusing on “self” and the feeling we’d have owning it, we compromise and act too quickly, thinking, "If we don't buy it right now we'll miss out." This purchase was not about status or wanting nice things. Our other car was more than sufficient (we actually prefer the body style of our older car). I simply prayed for guidance and let the whole thing go, knowing, trusting that in His time and through His methods, if He chose, the Lord would provide the right car at the right price.
I really did forget about buying a car until three months later when I contacted the dealer again. That car had now been on their lot for over a year, and because of dealer incentives and a December rebate to clear out the 2018’s, we agreed to just $500 over what I’d originally wanted to pay with our trade. I felt good about it. We arranged to purchase it that week.
We drove our old Cruze to Helena, and when the kind young dealer handed us the keys and papers to sign, he said, “I found another $500 rebate for you.” This made the price exactly what I’d wanted to pay months before. There was no denying that the Lord was involved in this. We never buy new cars, and were shocked that this one had only 40 miles on it! We got 63mpg on the way home and average 40-45mpg combined.
Two months later we found out that my husband’s illness was chronic and, without treatment, terminal; he'd require at least a year on very pricey specialty drugs before they could even attempt the major surgery to cure it. Had we waited to buy a car, we would have been afraid to make any purchases. The timing was perfect. This car economically got us to dr. appointments, art shows, and to San Diego in 2020 for his surgery. It’s been a blessing, and nearly every time I drive it, I express gratitude for God delivering it to us in a way that only He can: "exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all we could ask or think" (Eph 3:20). I think I'll keep this little slip of paper to remind me of His love and provision in all circumstances when I choose to trust in and wait on His timing.
I read a quote yesterday in a Jerry Bridges devotional that really hit home:
"Lord, I am willing,
To receive what You give,
To lack what You withhold,
To relinquish what You take,
To suffer what You inflict,
To be what You require."