DEVOTION: God is In the Details by Shirley Corder

Do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!  Matthew 10:31 GNB

My husband and I stood in the shade of a large thorn tree and gazed gloomily at the steaming car. The fierce African sun beat down in the parking lot. We felt tired and longed for a cool shower. The rubber pipe in the engine couldn't have burst at a worst time. Why, oh why had I decided to stop at the last shopping center before the mountain pass just to buy sausages?

My husband reached for the mobile phone and rang a nearby friend. At least help was near at hand. I gazed up at the huge shady tree where we were parked. Another blessing. As we waited, I stared at the rugged mountain towering ahead. The road that would take us from this side of the mountain to our home on the other side, deserved its nickname. The steep Road of Death not only had treacherous twists and curves, thr surface was soaked with grease from heavy vehicles. 

If we hadn't made this unscheduled stop, we would have been on that road when the pipe burst. Even if we hadn't met with a serious accident, we would have been stranded on that road in the blistering heat with no shade, no water, no help and no way of getting out of the way of the rush-hour traffic.Maybe it was just as well we had popped into the shops before tackling the pass.

I remembered how God once used a handful of flour and a little olive oil to rescue a widow and her son. He also saved a young family when he multiplied a small jar of oil. On two occasions, Jesus fed vast crowds from small amounts of fish and bread. Now He had saved us by prompting us to stop and buy that small packet of sausages. It was such a little item, yet he used it to protect us from certain disaster.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the many times you use insignificant events to protect us. Help us to recognize your hand at work. Amen.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on times when God used the small, ordinary things to help her through the rough times spent in the cancer valley. It is available for pre-order at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (B&N.com). Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley, on Twitter or on FaceBook. Sign up for her writers' newsletter.