One day several years ago, a family went on a weekend trip to the mountains. As soon as they got there they received news that the inside of their house was being flooded by an upstairs bathroom sink water hose. The family had to turn around and drive back to their home. Unfortunately for the family, their home sustained considerable water damage. The father, mother and children in this family knew that the Bible says that God is always good and deserving of praise. So the family made a decision to praise God in the middle of the huge inconvenient mess that had marred their beautiful, newly renovated home.
During the following weeks, while the family worked to clean up the mess, and the father worked diligently to repair the ceiling, walls and floors, God presented the family with a peculiar gift. The family didn't feel comfortable accepting the gift at first or understand why they had been given such a gift. But the father, being wise and intelligent, set the gift in a very special place and determined in his heart to wait for a time in the future when he might understand how best the family might enjoy the gift that God had given them.
Several years passed and the family was faced with a very difficult situation in their home. The father and mother prayed for God to give them wisdom and guidance. They prayed for God to take care of all of the details that would be necessary to best handle the difficult situation.
As the situation became more pressing, the father and mother knew that something needed to be done but the direction they were feeling led would require a unique provision. The parents prayed for God to provide and trusted that their faithful God would take care of every detail. Not soon after, the father was reminded of the gift that the family had received years earlier after their home had been damaged by water.
When the father began to look at the gift that had been safely tucked away for such a long time, he noticed how perfectly it answered the current prayer need in their family. Confidently, the family was able to take the steps necessary to deal with the difficult situation that was so heavy on their hearts.
Gratefully, the family rejoiced that long before they were even aware that they would have this particular need their Sovereign Lord had already provided them with the perfect answer to the prayers they would one day pray.
