This is the story of the chair. Yes, THE chair. I needed the chair for stage decor for the Bridging the Gap Redeemed Retreat, and spent months keeping an eye open, expecting the search to be easy. An old chair with some character is tough to find. (Well, unless you want to spend a fortune, which is not how I roll.) Anyway, back to the story. A month before the event, I was looking even more often online and in old stores, but came up with nothing. Three weeks out I found something online that could work if reupholstered, and we tried to acquire it, but it fell through. Did I mention it fell through after the less than two weeks mark? Oy vey.

Saturday morning, two weeks before the last day of the event, I woke up knowing the deal had fallen through, and I was on the smidge side of panic about what to do. I tend to focus for the day before lifting my head from the pillow. I start thanking God for the day and remind myself that God has me no matter what. It is honestly the best chance of quiet in my house. It starts my day with the right focus before my feet hit the ground and my attention is scattered to the ends of the earth (no I am not being dramatic here; it sure feels that way). So that morning I decided to get serious about finding the chair. I had prayed about it before, but more in a passing “please help” way and not quite the 11th hour plea that this one was.

Basically I said “God, you know we need a chair, and you know what type it needs to be. You know what would be perfect on the stage and encompass what we want this event to feel like. You know I am running out of time, and we need a miracle at this point. I am ok with that and I KNOW you care and can take care of this.” Then I laid out specifics because, quite honestly, I knew this testimony could bring him glory, and I wanted him to shine bright! I asked God for something in good condition, because of the time limit, as well as at a great price. And most specifically I asked it be in my town. This was the trickier stipulation, as everything I had found online had been almost three hours away in the Twin Cities. My town isn’t huge, when compared to the amount of people and chairs in the Cities for sure! I thanked him for the chair and the testimony for his glory that he was going to provide that day, and then I got out of bed and started the day.

The reason I am telling you all of this is because I don’t think many people realize how MUCH God cares about us, our needs, and the details of what is going on in our lives. I feel like many think to pray and ask for him to heal someone or help them pay bills for which they are short, but how many times do we say “God, I really need help in this seemingly small area, right now please.”

Why is that? Do we feel we don’t want to bother him or waste his time? Do we feel he doesn’t care that much about the little or trivial things going on in our lives?

We are his beloved, his most favorite creation and delight. There may be billions of us, but he is omnipresent (everywhere at once) and omniscient (knows all), so I think He has us covered. He knows our thoughts, hopes, dreams, longings, and needs. I believe it blesses him when we lean so deeply into him and trust that he cares enough so that we ask for the needs he already knows we have. It reveals that we do believe in his deep love and generous heart towards us. He wants to bless us, and he wants his glory to shine through as he does.

If you are thinking, “Sweet I’m going to ask for the new car, ipad, etc. in my request!” Please remember he sees our hearts as well, and he knows our intentions. He knows what is best for us and what will destroy us. I don’t share this story to bring you gain materially, but spiritually. Knowing that he cares, and letting that sink in, can do wonders to your heart.

Ok, back to the story! I am sure you have guessed by now. Before noon that day, I had found a great looking, good priced,100 year-old chair… in my town! I was not surprised, but I was elated.

As an extra bonus, when we were preparing to leave with the chair, the former owner asked about our vehicle, an old suburban (hmm…he must have noticed the rust and battle wounds).  He proceeded to describe a vehicle he was planning to advertise on craigslist that afternoon. It was the exact vehicle my husband had been looking  for almost two years for work. So in the end, my honest, expectant prayer request not only was honored with a chair, but my hubby also ended up blessed with a much needed work vehicle!

God sees. He knows. He cares. Talk to him.