Daily Devotional for Thursday January 4, 2007
A Prayer and Blessing on Your Ttransportation
(Psalms 68:19, 31:19; Genesis 28:15)
I have found over the years, some of the Devotionals I write that have the most impact, are the simple ones that deal with an aspect of real life. Transportation is one of those very real aspects of life. Please open your heart and receive this prayer and blessing on your transportation!
Over the years, I have prayed often for people's transportation needs, but the Holy Spirit quickened me the other day to the fact that I had never once done a specific Devotional just focused on transportation. Transportation is one of those critical and important parts of our life that we often take for granted. However, because it is so vital to most everyone's life, I want to take the opportunity today to not only talk about transportation, but pray for and bless YOUR transportation.
It is interesting the things we remember from our childhood. Three distinct memories from my childhood involve transportation. The first was when I was 5-years old and riding my tricycle in front of my house and got the brilliant idea to see how fast I could go. I remember pumping my little legs as fast as I could, flying down the sidewalk, that exhilarating feeling of speed. All of a sudden I hit a broken part of the sidewalk and flew over the handle bars of my tricycle, hitting the pavement with my forehead. I can still to this day, some 43 years later, remember smacking my forehead into the concrete and putting my hand on my forehead and seeing the blood on it. It took my mother and several nurses to hold me down as the doctor stitched up my wound, a scar I still have to this day.
The second childhood memory that involved transportation was just a few years later when my father taught me how to ride a bike. Slowly up and down the street in front of my house with my dad holding me up, letting me go on my own for a few feet before I started to wobble, until after a few hours I was actually riding on my own. I remember to this day the feeling of "freedom" as I traveled all over the neighborhood on my bike. I loved my bike and loved to be able to get on it and ride all over the place.
The third memory is probably similar to most people who are reading this today, learning how to drive and getting my first car. I got my learner's permit at 15, practicing with my mom and dad in our 1970 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Let me tell you, if you can learn to parallel park in a 1970 Vista Cruiser, you can parallel park ANYTHING. I fondly remember going through driver's education in school and finally the big day on my 16th birthday of taking my driving test and getting my license. Soon after that, I bought my first car, a green 1965 Ford Mustang that had an 8-track in it. I guess the memory of learning to drive and getting my first car centered around freedom again, but also being in control of something as powerful as a car is.
Of course, as I got older I began to see a car for what it really was, an important tool to get from point A to point B. Unless you live in a city that has public transportation, having a car is virtually a necessity of living in the United States and many places in this world in the year 2007. I know from the emails we get daily and the calls that come in each night on the TV program how critical transportation is in the lives of the people we reach each day. That is why today, I wanted to use this opportunity to pray for and bless your transportation.
I have been blessed during most of my life to have newer, dependable cars. But I have also had those times in my life when I didn't. Trust me, I know what it is like to have to figure out how many quarters I needed to dig out to just get enough gas to go to work. I know what it is like to drive long distances in a car that had no business going 5 blocks, let alone 500 miles. I know what it is like to drive with little or no brakes. I know what it is like to hear horrible sounds coming from the engine and knowing deep down that something is really wrong.
I know what it is like to drive on tires that have virtually no tread. I know what it is like to have a radio that only played one station. I know all too well the frustration of breaking down and being on the side of the road at 3 in the afternoon as well as 3 in the morning. I know what it is like to drive in 10-below zero weather with no heater as well as 95-degree weather with no A/C. I know what it is like to get the "bad news" from the mechanic that it would cost 2-month's salary to fix my car. Sadly, I know that horrible sound of crumpled metal when two cars collide.
That is probably why I have so much empathy for those reading this today who are dealing with older, undependable cars. Let me give you some wise counsel today, PRAY OVER YOUR CAR. I tell you often that God blesses us in many ways. When you can get another 50,000 miles out of a car that already has 150,000 miles on it, without any major expenses or headaches, that my friend is a HUGE blessing. Even the newer cars today can be a nightmare due to all the new technology involved.
During his life, my father owned a SOHIO station in Union, Ohio, outside of Dayton. He supported our family working 16-hour days fixing cars. Today, my father would need years of technical school and a million dollars worth of computer equipment to fix cars. So even those who are blessed to be able to afford the newer cars, can still end up having major nightmares when their car isn't working properly. So praying over your car is something EVERYONE should do.
I realize that many people reading this today need a car. Again, PRAY! Pray for God to guide you to a good, reasonably priced, dependable car that will serve your needs. Buying a car is a big decision. I find it is one of the biggest decisions in life very few people ever pray about. Please don't neglect praying over such a large purchase and something that is so critical to your day-to-day life. God will open and close doors to guide you to the exact car He wants you to have.
I love you and care about you so much. I realize that some may not find today's Devotional very spiritual. The fact is, God cares about ALL of the areas of our life, and even though we don't talk about it as much, transportation is a HUGE issue in everyone's life. From planes, to trains, to buses, to boats, to motorcycles, to bicycles, to our cars, getting from point A to point B is a very big part of our life each day, and one we often take for granted and neglect to pray about as much as we should.
I want you to know that today I will be praying for you and for your transportation needs each day. I will be praying for traveling mercies and that the Lord will watch over you as you move throughout your day from one destination to the next. I want to zero in specifically today on your car or cars, with the understanding of how important they are in each person's life to simply function in this modern world. In closing, I want to pray a special blessing on your car today, and encourage you to take time each day to pray about your transportation needs. Ask God's blessings on your car as well as in getting you from here to there in your daily travels through life.
"Father, I pray for my friend today. I pray specifically for my friend's car. Lord, bless this car today to function properly, to not have any mechanical difficulties, and to be a vessel of safety. I pray that you will watch over this car in its daily travels and keep it safe. Protect this vehicle and all occupants from any harm. Lord, today I pray a special prayer of BLESSING on my friend's car. For those today who need a car, guide them to the right source to find a fairly priced, dependable car that will serve their needs. Above all, let this car be used for YOUR service. Use this car to get many people to places where the name of Jesus is lifted up and glorified, to allow my friend to travel in their daily service to you and your Kingdom. We thank you today Father that you care about us, even about our cars. I pray today favor and blessings on my friend's car, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN!"