Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
As many who follow may know, I have had the privilege to know the Lord for over 40 years. During those decades, He has proved Himself to be a faithful, kind and loving Savior. And as I have learned to lean on Jesus, He has shown Himself to be a merciful Savior, never wavering, even in some very dark times.
This topical series will try to provide a snapshot of an ol’ fools prayers, the weakness and selfishness of his prayers, and the ever increasing goodness of God in His responses the those prayers.
I hope my witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God will be an encouragement to those reading, and will spur us all on to a deeper, more consistent time of being in the Lord’s presence.
Please visit with me as I tell the story of a faithful God and His care for an ol’ fool. Though David considered himself a poor man, I freely admit, I am just an “ol’ fool” looking to the Lord.
A Petroleum Transfer Engineer
When I met my lovely wife, I was a student in the architectural discipline, very close to attaining my Architectural Technology degree.
Ewwww – fancy dancy eh?.
I had been attending architectural school for at least two years, but to be honest, it was simply a time of drinking anything with alcohol in it, selling and using drugs and disturbing my neighbors with very loud music.
I was a mess, and being in an “artsy” course wasn’t helping! (My apologies to all my architect friends…)
What was going to help was a young lady with a message I had never heard before. (If you haven’t read my testimony, I refer you to Testimony)
After I met her and her Savior, I repented of my sin, and ran to the Savior. One problem though. If I wasn’t whacked out on “foriegn substances”, I found that drawing floorplans and house elevations was just not my cup of tea.
Wifey was wonderful though, coming up to my desk late at night, encouraging me to push through, gently being beside me to let me know I had a friend.
She is great.
Nevertheless inside I was dying. I knew this floorplan stuff wasn’t for me, for it had been driven into me by others. No – I had to find my way in life, and now that I had a pretty wife to take care of, I better get at it! Thankfully, the Lord reminded me that it wasn’t my way in life that was the issue, but His will. For that I am thankful, even though I didn’t quite comply without conditions.
Let me explain.
One bright sunny morning, as I was waking up, I offered up a prayer to the Lord, without making a noise, or letting that pretty girl know my thoughts.
“Father, if you give me a job today, I will quit school.”
I look back, thinking of how immature – even more that I am now – I was in my prayers. Sort of like Jacob as he prayed to God with conditions, but that will be for a different time.
I ventured south to a grocery store to see if I could bag groceries, or mop floors, or something. Nothing! I began to get a bit discouraged – yes – after one attempt. Hey – I never said I was a tenacious fella! Nevertheless, I continued on until I visited with an old bossman who took me on as a worker.
I was flabbergasted. I was to start work the next day. I hurried home to let my wifey know, to break the news that I was quitting architectural school to become a Petroleum Transfer Engineer. I knew I had to polish the job description up to sound impressive, for what woman who had hopes of being the wife of a “fancy dancy” architect would be happy with a guy who washed car windows and pumped gas. Yes, I got a job as a gas jockey.
And she understood. Did I tell you she was great. She supported me in my endeavors and has been a fantastic helpmeet for this ol’ fool.
What was the answer to my prayer in all of this?
- God will provide an answer in order to teach greater lessons. Placing conditions on a prayer is not recommended. More on that later.
- God will reveal the depth of love others have for a fella when it seems he makes a foolish choice.
- God can use a very young fool to reach people in the place He leads, for I had many opportunities to share the goodness of the Savior and see folks get right with Jesus at that old gas station.
- God will provide even if I get fired. That old bossman didn’t like it if I read the Bible on my break. He really didn’t like it when a fellow employee began to read that Book.
Nevertheless, God is good, and 44 years later, the Lord is still providing, and revealing His love to my family and I.
And my wife – she is still great!
Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.
Considering the Bible 