Have you ever experienced a length of time during which you prayed countlessly for God to answer this one specific prayer or dilemma that you’re facing, and all you get was silence? One of our editors went through that exact situation, and got her answer from God today.
A couple of months ago, my fiancé’s stereo system in his car was damaged. One of his CDs was stuck in the system, and it could not be ejected. This led me to a hunt for the ultimate car stereo with the latest functionalities, from built-in Bluetooth for hands free calling to an auxiliary input for his iPod and a touchscreen. During this search, I realized that the people who install these systems earn a substantial amount in labor charges, sometimes even more than the cost of the system itself. Not only that, having a built-in Bluetooth as one of my requirements raised the price even more.
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I was terribly conflicted. On the one hand, this was the best time (so I thought) to get him a new stereo because his was broken; but on the other hand, I’m looking at an outflow of cash that is sufficient to purchase an iPad 2 or something extravagant. Because this is a large sum of money, I also wanted to be sure that I was getting the best deal I can in the market. So I researched…and prayed…and researched…and played around with the systems at BestBuy and Fry’s…and I could not find something that I was comfortable with.
Throughout this whole process, I’ve chosen the best car stereo in terms of functionality and affordability, but my heart still felt heavy. I prayed for God to lead me to the right decision, the right stereo, and the right dealer. I got nothing. I soon abandoned the idea of getting him one and just told him to suck it up and live with it. I probably should have mentioned earlier that he listens to his med school podcasts while driving to school and clinics, so it wasn’t just for pure entertainment. Left with nothing but a tuner that works, instead of being fluent in his Boards material, he was reciting Adele lyrics and is pretty certain that he’s got moves like Jagger (so he thinks).
A week ago, I was looking for ideas for his 25th birthday present. I decided to give the stereo a second shot. Long story short, I did the same research, said the same prayers, asked for the same guidance, and this time, I actually found a place in Ontario that does really good affordable work through Yelp. This struck me as odd, because before, I used the same sites to look for the same information, but the results were less than satisfying. In fact, that Ontario dealer was not even on the list.
My conclusion as to why God was silent for months until now? My circumstances and I were not ready. The situation was not ideal for His answer. Now that I think about it, I remember our bills for the past few months were quite high because we had numerous one-time, non-recurring expenses. I know that God is plentiful and bountiful, which is why I prayed for him to A BIT more plentiful a few months ago.
Matthew 6:32-34 says “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
My parents always remind me of those verses, that God will always provide when you need it. And if He’s not giving it to you now, that means you don’t need it. They’re right. It’s true - we didn’t need the stereo at that time. We could wait. When we wait in silence for God’s answer, we know that He is preparing us for something bigger, something better. The outcome is usually more than what we expect to receive.
As for the fiancé, he was overwhelmed when he received his present today. He thinks the system is magnificent and is accompanied with an equally grandiose price tag. I actually got everything for less than the market price, but I’ll let him hold on to that thought because I get extra fiancé points.
