2 Two Dollar Bills

I had to take the boys to a birthday party yesterday. I had an extra little boy along for the ride. I threw all of my things into my purse and went and grabbed my wallet from my baseball bag and threw some things out of the car to allow my fourth child to get in. We were running late as is the norm and I frantically got the boys in the car and headed to the party. The low fuel light was on - but I was sure it was because we had been parked outside of the garage and it was on a hill. I would get gas on my way back.

I drop the boys off and the gas light has gone off so I decide to wait so I can get back to the house and get some things done before I had to go pick them up again. I get home and do a few things and it seems like no time before I had to get into the car and go get the boys. Half way there - the light comes on again. No biggy, I will just go get them and stop at the gas station on my way back. So, with all four of the boys safely in the car, I stop at the gas station. I grab my purse and start rifling through it to grab my wallet. It's not there. I look again. And again. And again.

I am looking at the gauge and it shows it is BELOW the little line - we are most definitely in the fumes range. I grab the manual to see how much gas is in that reserve - the manual says to go straight to the gas station when the low fuel light comes on. So I have a horrible feeling...I am at the gas station, with no wallet and four boys and wondering who I am going to call to come bring me money. I am praying to the Lord - "Please let me have just missed the wallet" - so I make another perusal of the whole car. And the purse...still - no wallet. "Please Lord - what am I going to do?" As I am grabbing the manual to put it back into the glove box, I see money - in the back of the manual - there are 2 $2 bills. Where did those come from? Why do I have them in the manual? Should I use them? I feel quite sure they were a gift for the twins - and who knows when they got put in there? We have had this car for 11 years...so there is no telling when my typical befuddled state I put them in there - or why I put them in there.  But right now - they were an answer from the Lord. I took my $4 into the gas station and paid. Went back and put 1.17 gallons of gas into the car. The light was gone. As I drove home I told the boys how good the Lord was that he had allowed those 2 $2 bills to be in there. God's provision was a happy little reminder of how much he cares for us.  I got the little boy home - told his mom about it and we both agreed how good God is. I went home and started looking for my wallet.

I could not find it. I retraced my steps. At first pretty calm. The more I looked in all of the places I had been the more frantic I became. I started to panic and pray to the Lord again. "PLEASE LORD" I cry desperately, "...don't let me have put that wallet on top of that car and have driven off. Don't let it be on Highway 280 somewhere being run over again and again." I sit down. I put my head in my hands. And I pray again.

I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. I look at the phone - I check the phone messages, hoping someone had found it and called me. Nope. Then I get up and make one more calm and consistent search - retracing in my head exactly what I did and how I did it. I walked over to the washing machine and dryer downstairs and see a pile of jackets I had pulled from the car and dropped next to the machine. Peeking out from under one of the jackets was my wallet.

When I had grabbed my wallet from my baseball bag, I had kept it in my hand as I went to remove the excess stuff from the car.  I got the gift card out of my hand and for some reason kept my wallet along with the jackets and miscellaneous items I was getting out of the way. And in my hurry, I dropped my wallet along with the clothes onto the floor next to the washer.

Praise the Lord. Seriously. And I could not STOP crying. I kept thanking the Lord - over and over again. How good are you Lord? Because seriously - in my harried and wacked out brain mode - there is a very good possibility it could have been placed on top of the car and I would have had to call all those places - and remember what all was in that wallet...yikes.

Though honestly - the wallet - though I was freaked out - it is not what amazes me the most. The mystery of the 2 $2 bills is what makes my heart expand.
Zechariah 4:10
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone (or the plumbline) in the hand of Zerubbabel?”

Zechariah 4:10 says an amazing thing. As a background - the people of Israel are rebuilding the tempel. Zerubbabel is the first leader after the exile from captivity. The vision of Zechariah was to encourage Zerubbabel in his work to complete the temple. He had tried in vain for 16 years to get it completed and Zechariah's dream was to let him know that God saw him. That his eyes (7 meaning "perfect" or complete) range through the earth and SAW his needs. God was aware of what Zerubbabel needed and wanted to encourage him to keep on with the work of the Lord. He sees all things and there is nothing that escapes the eye of the Lord...even my tiny problems.

Now of course - I know that my finding those $2 bills is a simple thing. But to me - it was no accident. I reached for the manual out of a need to find out how much gas I had left in hopes to get those kids back to a place where we were not waiting on the side of the road. But God didn't just have information for me - he had provision. He was aware of my need and he provided for it.

AND he let that wallet be in a wonderful place. On the floor of my laundry.

Awesome. Our God is an AWESOME God.