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GailFriends - Why Pray When You Have AAA?
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GailFriends - Why Pray When You Have AAA?
By Gail Golden
Publicist and Ministry Partner - Pocket Full of Change Ministries
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your path straight.”
Proverbs 3:6 (NIV)
My friends call me a prayer warrior. I’ve written articles about and spoken on the subject. Until last Saturday, it had not occurred to me that the main reason I’ve learned to depend on prayer was that, for much of my life, I couldn’t afford luxuries like membership in the American Automobile Association (AAA).
On a recent out-of-town trip, my mother, my daughter Amanda, and I were shopping using my mother’s car. After a short trip to Walmart, we returned to find a dead battery. Not to worry, my mother had AAA! Hooray!
We called AAA and after about an hour, the helper arrived to give us a jump start. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to start the car, and left us standing in the broiling hot sun with nothing but apologies.
Returning to the air conditioned store, we cooled off with a drink while we deliberated about what to do next. Mama could not come up with a plan (God bless her.) I suggested calling AAA again to order a tow truck, and Amanda suggested buying a new battery. During this whole ordeal, Amanda was praying out loud, “Lord help us…Lord don’t let it cost a lot of money….Show us what to do!”
Finally, Amanda called a near-by relative, who is a mechanic. By the time he arrived, we had been stranded for three hours. Within minutes, a loose battery cable was detected and the car started right up! YAY!
On the way home, Amanda thanked God out loud for answering our prayers.
“Yes,” I said, feeling chagrined. “He answered your prayers, not mine.”
“You didn’t pray, Mom?” she asked in disbelief. .
I could hardly believe it myself. Me, the legendary prayer warrior, had not prayed. Ironically, I was scheduled to speak to a church group about prayer the next morning. How crazy was that? It is embarrassing to admit that my thought was, “Why pray if you have AAA?”
When I said that to Amanda, she quietly replied, “There are times when even AAA can’t help you.”
How true. It got me thinking about how we trust in things like insurance, our bank accounts, and most especially ourselves. Just like AAA, all of those things can fail us. Yet again, God was teaching me another lesson about self-propulsion. All too often, I plan without asking God for direction. This was another humbling reminder to acknowledge God in everything, because as I learned that day, you still have to pray even if you have AAA.
Gail is a ministry partner with and Publicist for Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information, to schedule a speaker for an event, or to request a newsletter, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden, Publicist at 904 316-5462. This ministry is supported by donations. If this ministry helps you or others, and God calls you to help support this work, you can make a donation to Pocket Full of Change Ministry at POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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