Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Technical Difficulties

I wonder if you've ever called in a pastor to pray over your hard drive?  I won't say I called in a pastor, because he was already here. (that would be my husband)  But he did lay hands on the mechanics of my computer and pray it to work.  Not the usual sort of prayer, but none the less, God chose to answer it in the affirmative.

My computer crashed over Christmas.  Most inconvenient.  But I was managing without it, fighting with my daughters for the laptop.  Yes, welcome to public school 2012.  Most all their homework is done on the computer (saves paper and lowers costs), but it means a computer is fairly essential around here for general life.  However, between my husband and son, I'm pretty spoiled with getting these sorts of things fixed.  Both are fairly expert in the field.  But I've been learning God's grace extents to me even through broken down mechanics.

My husband found a hard drive sitting on the windowsill of our office, among other computer parts.  Not an uncommon find around here, since he and my son originally built mine out of discarded ones of the past.  But he made a call to my son at college to ask him if he knew anything about this spare hard drive.  My son knew nothing of it. Nor did my husband.  Hmmm, I wonder, do angels make special deliveries to office windows?

My husband decided to give it a try, but accidentally connected it backwards (working under a desk in poor lighting).  A sizzling sound and the faint smell of smoke were not exactly what he'd hoped for.  Bummer dude.  It would be nothing short of a miracle if it worked now seeings how the wiring just got fried.  And that's when my hard drive received the laying on of hands and a prayer.  Now I have the punchiest computer in the house.  It works.  I'm back up and running.

But let me tell you about my camera. Searched high and low. I was feeling pretty sick over the thought of losing it.  Finally in frustration prayed to find it.  I knew God was aware of its location.  And well. . . I like my camera.  I know, it's only stuff, but computers and cameras are costly.  Not the sort of thing I like to lose or have malfunction.

The moment I prayed, God brought to mind the box in the back of the car.  Then I remembered.  Oh yes, I put the camera in the tackle box to keep it from getting wet in a snow storm while ice fishing.  I don't think I ever would have thought to look there. At least not until the summer.  Grace.  God didn't need to fix my mechanical problems or remind me where my camera was, but He did.

I think sometimes God delights in answering our ordinary prayers.  These prayers that are not really very spiritual, and usually offered up in honest exasperation.   Things we rather expect Him to say no to.  But He often amazes me with surprising answers, even in the little things.  And I think, "You would do that for me?  Really?" So I'm reminded of my personal, playful God.  Surely, if He made the rippling creek that seems to laugh, the raccoon that washes it's paws, the joey that lives in a pocket, the wildflower of the meadow whom no one ever sees . . . so many things just for the joy and pleasure of it, certainly, He is playful with us at times as well.

I love my God, and love this husband of mine He's given--a gift.  My husband's capability of fixing things is not the primary reason I married him.  (Although it is a nice bonus)   But one of many things I love about him is his simple faith, even in ordinary things, believing that God might care to somehow make a discarded hard drive work.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."  James 1:17

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