Monday a friend and I did some shopping together at a distant location. We loaded our selections of bagged products into her trunk, hers on the left side and mine on the right.  Next we drove back to the community center in her neighborhood where my car was waiting. She parked beside my car so we could easily transfer bags from her trunk into mine.  As I prepared to get out of the car it occurred to me to tell her she could just stay inside if she wanted and I would do the transfer because when we’d shopped together previously she’d helped me transfer the goods.

Being the kind hearted soul that she is, she disregarded my suggestion and got out of her car to help me. We moved my share of the bags from her trunk to mine and shut the trunks. That’s when she reached for the handle of her car door on the driver’s side. It wouldn’t open. Pale faced, she looked at me with eyes protruding. Oh no!  Her car was locked with the engine running. We both peered through the car’s windows and saw her keys dangling in the ignition. Glancing back, I again took in the distressed look on her face.

God’s peace was steadying my heart as I stood on the other side of her car. The thought entered my mind to open the passenger side door. Without a doubt or thought of consideration on how unlikely this would be to work, I pulled on the handle. The door readily opened. Next I pushed the unlock button so my friend could get in on her side. She sighed and smiled and opened the door. Then I looked at her and said, “That should not have worked.”

“I know!” she replied.

We both went our way, me thinking about what had just transpired.

 The driver’s side of a car has the master control over locking a car. If you lock the driver’s side the entire car will lock with one push. Models vary in precisely how unlocking works but it is consistent that when the driver’s side locks so do all the other doors. Most cars are designed that way. It’s a convenience to the driver and a safety for the vehicle to lock all doors in one action. Toyotas work that way and her’s is a Camery. Since the driver’s door was locked all the other doors should also have locked. But we got back in easily against all logic.  Praise God!

Did we have some supernatural help? Did angels work with us to resolve this perplexing situation? It wouldn’t surprise me! It wouldn’t be the first time God has helped his children get through locked places in times of distress. There are biblical example of unlockings happening in the book of Acts. See Acts Chapters 5 and 12.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+5%3A17-23&version=ESV https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+12%3A10&version=ESV

God watches over his children and sometimes he does supernatural acts to help them. And he often does them without fanfare or fireworks. He can be so subtle. He’s not about showing off but helping out. There were no flashing lights, no bullhorns, no parade; just a simple, quiet, impossible resolution to a problem. The door opened when it shouldn’t have. Now God’s kids could be about the business they were called to that day rather than be waylaid by a problem that could have taken considerable time to resolve. Yet I could have missed it and gone on about my day without paying attention to what had happened. Let’s take note of God’s merciful kind actions on our behalf. Let’s give him the credit and the praise for the good things he has done and be thankful for his kindness and his love.

HAPPY Thanksgiving!