Car Trouble At 2am

Car Trouble at 2 am

My sister Toni and brother John had spent every last minute visiting with us before driving back to Dallas.  It was already 8 p.m. when they left Atlanta, anticipating little traffic and smooth driving for their thirteen hour long return home. 

Somewhere, just into Mississippi on I-20, John’s gas gauge was approaching E for empty.  About 2 a.m., somewhere near Meridian, they saw an all-night gas station, with a small convenience store.  After filling the gas tank, John turned the ignition key but without results.  Needless to say, it was a bit disconcerting to be the only two people in the parking lot at a time when all parents tell their children to be home.  John raised the hood of the truck and began tinkering with the engine, as my sister debated calling her husband or us.  We were each about six or seven hours away from them, though in different directions.

As Toni and John began to pray, a car with several people in it pulled up next to the building.  A tall, powerfully built man got out of the car and walked toward John, going straight to the raised hood.  As John explained what the truck had done, the man bent down and began to manipulate some of the wiring.  The rest of his passengers remained in the man’s car, parked nearby. 

After a couple of minutes, the man asked my brother to try to start the truck.  Amazingly, it roared to life.  Both John and Toni thanked the man for his help.  Though neither had much cash with them, Toni asked what they owed him.  “Nothing,” he replied, heading back to his car without getting gas or purchasing anything at the store.  “Just whenever you pray, remember Michael.”

The next day, after arriving home, John called to tell me about the night before.  Together, we rejoiced over God’s promise in Psalm 91:11, 'For God shall give his angels charge over you, to keep (guard) you in all of your ways'.  Even today, I often pray for Michael, though I sometimes wonder if I am praying for the archangel Michael himself, who was about 6’ 2” tall, muscular, and in African-American skin for that particular night in Meridian, MS at 2 am.  Our God is, indeed, an awesome God!

© 2011 Gerry Sisk

(11/23/11)