My Angel with a Cowboy Hat

I don’t know if you have ever seen the movie “The Abyss” but my life felt like one big, huge abyss that I was being sucked down into. There is one scene at the very beginning of the movie where a US submarine suddenly loses power and without sonar, it hits an underground swell of rocks. In the sub, all hell is breaking loose. Water is pouring in; fires are everywhere but the captain and his leaders know their protocols in this situation. They begin to issue orders, they are getting reports, but things are continuing to fail on this mighty sub. As the camera zooms in on the face of the captain, you can see the terror in his face and then he takes a big, shaky breath as he realizes all is lost and death is near. That feeling of terror has been with me on more than one occasion this past couple of years with my husband's illness and then his passing. 

I don’t know why but my car eats tires. I have had so many “almost” flat tires, actual flat tires, and blow outs. Last year I actually got cancelled from my roadside assistance plan because I used their assistance too much with tire problems. And once again I had a blow out and was without a car for what seemed like an eternity. With the kindness of my dear sweet sister, I was able to get a year’s membership with another roadside assistance carrier and she included an additional $50.00 so I could get my flat tire fixed. So, I had “Mabel” towed to Shaffners Tire Shop here in LaPorte. As I sat in the waiting room, I was so relieved that my problem was going to be solved. I was so happy that I would once again have my Mabel up and running. Then Luke, the tire dude, came into the waiting room and told me the tire and my spare I had was unfixable. So, I asked for a used tire and showed him with a little note with what my budget would allow. I was too embarrassed to say it out loud. So, off he went to see if my problem could be solved. Then he came back in and said ALL my tires were shot and that he didn’t think I would even make it home due to the extreme damage done to all my tires. But armed with my little note, he said, “let me see what I can do” and off he went. I made my way to my seat, amongst a room full of strangers and held back the panic that wanted to rise up in me. I immediately sent out a text to my sister and my beloved friends at my church asking that everyone PLEASE PRAY! As I sat there, so frightened by what was going on, I felt so hopeless. I thought of the captain of the sub from the movie, The Abyss. And to make matters worse, my phone was dying so I couldn’t even play some mindless game. So, I pulled out my little Bible that I had stashed in my purse and began to read. I opened my Bible to the book of Joshua. I read about how the Lord had brought the Israelites into the land of milk and honey as He had promised. But here was one problem, it was filled with well-established cities, populated by people who did not believe in the God of Israel and were given to idol worship, witchery, and all sorts of evil deeds. These cities had enormous armies, armed with many weapons. As I read the pages in Joshua, it was clear that, whoever would come up against Israel, God would protect them and give them victory over these wicked cities. And that is just what happened. So, as I sat there facing what felt like a huge battle for me, I began to feel comfort and knew that God was on my side. He could defeat any battle set before me. Several minutes later, Luke, the tire dude came in and said my car was DONE, and it had 4 new tires on it. And what he said next, blew my mind. It literally made me feel like I was in a dream. He said, “Mrs. Hamlin, you owe nothing. A man wearing a cowboy hat that was in the waiting room, sitting directly across from you, has paid your bill in full”. And then he said, “I don’t know what you are doing but keep it up because that was amazing.” And it was amazing. 

No matter what your “cities” or problems are, God wants you to know that He will fight them for you. Joshua 1:9 says: "This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And so, on Sunday, I was able to get to church bright and early because my Mabel had four new feet to travel on. I volunteered at the first service and then went to the 2nd worship service. My pastor, as usual rocked his sermon. He encouraged us to keep a journal so that you can write down the things that you are faced with and how God walks before you and slays everything that dares to threaten you. Also, keeping a journal is a great way to go back and be reminded of the spectacular things that God has done for you. You can find comfort as you see how God has worked in your life. The only thing we need to do is have a relationship with God through prayer and reading His Word. When you are walking in a close relationship with Him, His word tells us that He loves to bless His beloved children. So, I say my friends, go out there and do God’s will for your life, knowing that you are armed with the Highest Heavenly Father. He wants to give you all that you need. He wants to protect you for the trials of this life. I know this to be true, because God used a tire dude named Luke and an angel in a cowboy hat that took care of me when I thought all was lost.