Sometimes, God works miracles and provides things that seem impossible just to show us that He is working and He is still in control. And sometimes it’s the smallest things that stick with me because these small things are reminders that He’s in charge of the big things too.
Last week, Kendra and I were working on a big project, and we were mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. We were also far away from home. We finished the project around dinner time, and while we had a car that we had rented, we didn’t know the area, so we didn’t know where to go for food. We opted for something fast and simple—Burger King. There were no Burger Kings in the area, so we switched to McDonald’s. Perfect, let’s go.
Kendra found the closest McDonalds, and we put it in her GPS and headed there. Unfortunately, we weren’t on the road that the GPS thought we were, so we couldn’t make the turn it told us to make. Oops, but oh well, let’s just go for another one.
The next McDonalds seemed to be ok, but the map was a bit unclear and we missed the turn. At this point, I was starting to get a bit frustrated. We thought about turning around, but the road on the other side was full of traffic.
“Let’s just go to another one,” Kendra said.
We took all the right exits for the next one, but when we saw the McDonald’s, we realized it was closed.
Grrrr. I wanted to scream. Instead I asked God why. I was so tired and hungry, and I didn’t feel well because I could tell my blood sugar was low. I needed food, but why was that proving to be so challenging?
Kendra found another McDonald’s and put it into the GPS. We tried to see if there were any other food options on the side of the road, but we didn’t see anything we recognized or anything that looked much like a restaurant.
The next McDonald’s was off the main road and felt far away. I only drove for about 15 minutes, but it felt like forever. I had found myself wishing that we didn’t have to get out of the car, but as we neared this McDonald’s, I found myself praying that God would give us a McDonald’s with a drive-thru. I told Kendra about my prayer.
“Come on, Alison. Be realistic. I’ve never seen a drive-thru in China.”
This prayer and response might seem silly to those of you in America who rarely see a McDonald’s without a drive thru. But where we live, drive-thrus are extremely rare. Most McDonald’s restaurants are inside shopping malls, so not only do you have to get out of the car and go inside, but you also have to find the McDonalds inside the mall. And as we approached the location, it definitely looked like a shopping mall. But at this point, I was beyond reason.
“I know it seems unlikely, but I really need a drive-thru, and I know God can make it happen.”
As we pulled up to the mall, Kendra laughed. “Look at that! I think it’s a drive-thru.”
Sure enough, another car pulled away from the window, and I stopped in front of the McDonald’s window. There was a QR code on the window for us to scan, and the worker said we could just order from that. A few minutes later, she brought out our food. We didn’t have to get out of the car.
But we didn’t want to eat on the road, and the parking lot outside didn’t have any spaces, so we headed into the parking garage. I hate parking garages, but we found a whole row of empty parking spaces and ate our food. I felt much better after a hamburger and fries. I don’t usually like McDonalds, but every once in a while, it’s exactly what you need—especially when it comes from a very needed drive-thru.
I love this story because I can see how God provided the impossible for me. God can and does do impossible things. And if He can do something little like providing a drive-thru when I needed food, what else can He do in my life? Anything.
That doesn’t mean that God always answers every desire that I wish for, and whether or not God provides what I want, I know that He is good. I can praise Him when He provides, and I can praise Him when He asks me to keep trusting even when He doesn’t provide. But I’m so thankful that sometimes, just when I need it, He does impossible things for me. What other impossible things should I be praying for Him to do?