God Listens

Do you think God listens to more than our prayers? Do you think he  listens  to  our  to-day-day conversations?  Last  Friday  I  was  visiting  with  a  person  from  one  of  our  fellow  non-profits  in  this  area  called  Open  Door  Mission.  We  network  with  each  other  almost  like  salesmen  do  –  helping  them  helps  us.  He  told  me  he  couldn’t find milk anywhere. The Food Bank hadn’t had any in a while, and there weren’t any grocery stores or dairies with excess. I told him I didn’t have any either, but I walked away thinking to myself, “Where am I going to get milk?”

As  it  turns  out  that  day  was  the  end  of  a  long  week  for  us  at  the  Resource Center, the same week we offered a money management class on Monday night (with people able to get groceries, supplies, and diapers) and also resumed our full services on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It took me an hour and a half to get home in Friday night traffic due to an accident, and I was happy to get home and park  myself  on  the  couch  to  wait  for  whatever  delightful  dinner  my wife had prepared for us. Little did I know that she was hoping to be taken out to dinner. No sooner had I sat down than the phone rang. It was Audie. He fixes all of our buses and big vehicles free of  charge  (which  is  a  story  for  another  day).

Upon  chatting  with  him, the story unfolded about a trucker parked in the truck stop adjacent  to  Audie’s  place.  Audie  is  moving  to  a  bigger  location.  His  business  has  grown,  and  I  can’t  help  but  think  God  has  rewarded   him   for   his   generosity.   But   that’s   another   story,   remember?  Anyway,  Audie  shouldn’t  have  even  been  there  that  Friday.  He  should  have  been  at  his  new  place,  but  instead  he  was there when the trucker from the truck stop came to ask if he knew of anyone who needed milk. He had a load of milk that got some  sour  cream  spilled  on  a  few  bottles  and  the  grocery  where  he was delivering it refused the whole load. They can do that, and apparently  they  do.  Audie  immediately  thought  of  Impact  and  gave me a call.Did  I  want  to  get  back  in  my  car  and  drive  all  the  way  back  downtown  that  Friday  evening?  Honestly  I  didn’t.  Did  I  try  to  find  someone  closer  to  help  me?  Of  course  I  did.  But  to  no  avail. So my wife (in hopes of getting dinner out) went with me to  rescue  the  milk.  Of  course  I  shared  it  with  my  friend  from  Open Door Mission, but there was plenty left over for Impact. So  be  careful,  the  next  time  you  say  you  need  milk,  the  Lord  might just bless you with 120 cases!