Oh Sovereign One Reigns Indeed

Yesterday I gave my child the last of my available cash for her school lunches. Then when I went upstairs and looked in a drawer I noticed a five dollar bill. I thought to myself, “Good, I don’t have any more cash handy. Now I have some.” I put it by the staircase so when I was done getting ready for the morning and left for the day I would remember to take the money. When the time case, I took the bill and shoved it into my side pocket.

A couple of hours later, I went to get some yarn for my grandmother to make some blankets. I drove into the Wal-Mart store. The store always has a grungy looking parking lot, like it is oily or something. I found my parking space and walked to the entrance. I put my hand into my right pocket and I felt two small pieces of paper. I knew that one of those papers was the five dollar bill. I wondered what the second paper was. I pulled it out and noticed that it was a slip from my calendar dated February 26/27 2005. The “Bible Verse a Day Calendar” pad had a verse inscribed and I started to read it. However my reading was interrupted by an approaching young African-American man who was relatively clean cut, but was a bit unprofessional in presentation. He had slouched posture, not like he has low in self-esteem, because he seemed a little cocky in attitude. He held his clipboard and sign up sheet.

“Do you want to help me with basketball?” I noticed that people’s names were on the board, sign-ups for donations. There were about five names and donations were three to five dollars each.

“Well,” I hesitated, “I’ll think about it.” I figured I ought to pray about it when I was in Wal-Mart, and later I could give a donation if I felt lead of the Lord. I also thought that maybe I would just forget about the whole thing. Upon seeing my hesitation, he was off soliciting the next guest.

I continued to walk towards and into the Wal-Mart store. Still holding my “Bible Verse a Day Calendar” pad slip, I thought about how long this verse on this slip had been in these pants, and how the fact that I am reading the verse now, that it may really mean something important from the Lord.

It read, “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely…” It had more words listed but I was distracted by the new thought that I ought to go right now, while the Lord was prompting me and give that young man the five dollars.

I abandoned my half-pulled out cart from the row of identical carts and walked out from the entrance of Wal-Mart back into the parking lot. “Here-” I said as we reached out our hands to one another. His friend said something that I couldn’t hear at first.

“What?”

“Do you have something to help me out too?”

“I only have five bucks. Maybe you two can share.”
I walked inside and did my shopping, forgetting about the matter, but settled that I did not ignore the voice of the Lord, assuming that it was the Lord.

About 15 minutes into my shopping as I reached up my hand, I felt my necklace come apart. I quickly grasped for the pendant. “Oh good,” I thought to myself, still safe.

The pendant was given to me by my husband for my birthday. On the gold medallion are the diamond from my original wedding ring, and a second, larger diamond, which hung from a lovely gold necklace. I thought how it really would be wise to remove the necklace, since it just fell open for no reason, and if that happens again and I’m not so “lucky,” I could lose it, and that would be horrible. I’ve always been a bit on the rash side, and this morning was no exception. I thought to myself is a bit of a haughty way, “Well, the Lord protected it this time, and He can protect it again, if there is something wrong with the it.” I reattached the necklace around my neck and tugged at the clasp. Felt tight and normal. I went about my shopping.

Upon exiting the store I was approached my a lanky European-
American woman in who appeared to be in her thirties. She looked at me sternly. “Are you registered to vote?” I didn’t answer. Insisting, she repeated herself. “Are you registered to vote?” I didn’t want to say yes, and I didn’t want to say no. Upon my repeated hesitation, she turned to another guest and I was off the hook and on the way to my car. I noticed that the two young men who solicited me earlier had apparently left.

As I was stacking bags into the back of my white Yukon truck that I have learned to keep clean, at least on the outside, most of the time, with really cool maxed out rims that my husband bought me, I looked at the ground and saw the gold chain of my necklace.

Frantically, I looked around for the pendant. It wasn’t anywhere. I looked though my things. Nowhere. Missing. I thought that I would quickly shove my items into the car, grab the keys and retrace my steps back into the store. I reached for my keys on my car seat and there was the pendant, sitting where I would normally sit in the car.

I picked it up and I said, “My Lord and my King, You are God.” I reflected upon the verse and pulled out the slip of paper again. “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.” Psalm 112:5-6.

I drove to the jewelry store and told them they needed to fix the necklace. The jeweler said, “This necklace looks fine to me.” I stood there and insisted that the necklace needed a fixing because it fell off twice….Eventually, he took out his little magnifier. “Oh yeah, you have a big problem here.” They’re going to be putting what is called a Lobster Clasp on the necklace.

All day long I thought about what a Sovereign Lord we serve. He controls everything. Nothing is out of his dominion. Rest. Rest. Rest and abide in Him. Stay in Him. Obey and follow and enjoy the peace that passes understanding.