A Little Gas, A Little Prayer

During the month of December, we’re steeped in Christmas movies of all sorts. Most of them feature some version of a “Christmas miracle,” a last-minute saving of the day—or the relationship, or the farm, or someone’s nebulous belief in the Christmas spirit.

Charming as those stories are, sometimes all that talk of miracles become a bit glib. In all the big, sparkly miracles, we lose sight of the best miracle of all, the Christmas package delivered to Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. We can also lose sight of all the everyday miracles, the way God gives us everything we need every single day.

I don’t mean to preach. I simply want to give the back story of our small Christmas miracle of the day. It’s 14 degrees out, and when it came time to run an important errand, taking care of a friend’s animals while they are out of town, our ’98 Tahoe wouldn’t start. My husband and I tried several things. It wasn’t a dead battery, but we put it on a battery charger, hoping it just needed a boost. My husband put some gas down the carburetor. After half an hour, I was frantic, not wanting let down my friends or leave the animals hungry and thirsty on Christmas Eve.

In desperation, I did what I probably should have done first—I gathered my son to me and agreed in prayer for the vehicle to start. After the prayer he went running out anxiously, only to return and report, “The prayer didn’t work. Daddy said to try again.” 

I gathered my two oldest children and we prayed again, more fervently. My son again ran outside to check progress. He came back and said, “Daddy is putting gas in it. I guess the gas and prayer will work.”

As we waited, he again became anxious. “Mommy,” he asked, “can you try another prayer? One that’s guaranteed to work?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” I explained. “A prayer isn’t magic. It’s asking God. And God can say yes, no, or wait—just like when you ask Mommy or Daddy something.” Still, in my heart, I felt the vehicle would start. Weren’t my friends—and their animals—relying on us?

A few moments later, we heard the roar of the Chevy’s engine as it came to life. The gas in the carburetor? The prayers? Or a bit of both? I only know that, on this Christmas Eve, I’m grateful for God’s provision in small things as well as large. Our Christmas miracle was the gift of transportation to fulfill a promise and do a kindness. Yours may be smaller, or larger. They are no less miracles for being mundane. The first Christmas no doubt seemed mundane to many, but look what promises it fulfilled!

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:5b-6).

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).