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TITLE: Rejoice in All Things
By Jenny Veleke
11/23/04

I settled in at my desk, ready to begin another day of work. I did not really want to be there, but had resigned myself to the fact that this is where God chose for me to be for now. My heart was in a little preschool room down the hall. Since the day he was born, I had desired to stay home with Ross but past financial mistakes necessitated that I work, at least until the debt was paid off. This also put our plans for another child on hold since we could not afford daycare for two. I was thankful at least that I was able to work in the church where Ross went to daycare.

The phone called to me as I made my way to the copier. I turned and made a beeline back to my desk, snatching up the phone on the second ring.

“Children’s Ministry, may I help you?” I answered distractedly as I began sharpening pencils, propping the phone on my shoulder against my ear.

“Hi sweetie,” my husband’s voice filled the line. “It’s me.”

A smile crept over my face. It was a rare occasion for my husband to call me at work, especially at the beginning of the day. “Hi me,” I chirped back.

“Listen, did you happen to see my car this morning when you left for work?” he asked me.

“See your car?” ‘That’s an unusual question,’ I thought. “I was in a hurry this morning, running late as usual. I didn’t really notice your car. Why?”

“Well, it’s sort of gone.” Silence hung between us.

“Wh…what do you mean it’s gone?”

“Sweetie, it’s not there. The police have already come. I filed a report, although it probably won’t do much good. They said it’s unusual to recover a stolen car.”

Stolen. My mind reeled at the implications this word carried. ‘Lord, what will we do?’ I prayed silently. ‘I know all things work together for Your good, but I just don’t see the good in this.’ A few minutes later, as I replaced the receiver my mind began to ponder the reason for our situation. Did God want to teach us something?

“Lord,” I prayed, “I don’t pretend to understand why this is happening but I know that You not only understand why, You know the ultimate outcome. I pray You will help me to trust You and Your divine plan. Help me to see the good in our situation.”

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. I went through the motions of my job but my mind was elsewhere. Finally, another phone call from my husband revealed that his car had been found in a church parking lot on the other side of the city. There were several custom parts missing but no significant body damage. I breathed a prayer of thanks.

Over the next few weeks, we worked with the insurance agency to replace the stolen items from the car. We listed all the missing parts and obtained quotes for replacement. Then we waited. After several days, the insurance agency contacted us and informed us that the loss to the car was greater than the amount the car was worth. The car was considered totaled and a check was mailed. We opted to buy the car back from the insurance company. We paid off the car loan with the check and used the remainder to replace some of the stolen custom parts.

God had heard our prayers and provided a way. The car payment had been holding us back, requiring me to work instead of allowing me to stay home with Ross. Within a few months, I became a stay-at-home mom and was expecting our second child. I had trusted God to take care of my family, to hear my prayers and the desires of my heart. He had heard and answered me. And so I rejoiced in God’s provision. God does not always work according to our plan, but His plan is perfect. Even if we do not understand the path He chooses to lead us down, we can follow Him and rejoice in His sovereign will for our lives.

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

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