On September 21, my husband Derek was in a very bad car accident. Praise God, he and the other person walked away with no major injuries. My Babes was only sore, and it was truly a miracle!

To be honest, my first response was not the best. I was very distressed about our better vehicle being the one that was totaled. That night I kept reaching out in my bed, crying thankful tears that my sweet Babes was still with me! Big picture is the Lord was gracious as He protected my husband and the other man that day.

We had originally planned to leave for our annual trip to Georgia in early October. That trip was postponed while we navigated our vehicle situation.

Insurance forms were filled out. The “Fam Cam” was towed. Insurance gave us an estimate. We countered back and were grateful when they considered the cost of inflation, resulting in a higher settlement than what they first offered. In the midst of all of this, we were helping our kiddos process this big change.

Lillian kept reminding my husband daily to “stay safe” as he would leave for work. Both kiddos would say in a sad voice multiple times a day, “The Fam Cam is GONE!”

In the meantime, a family from church allowed us to use their spare vehicle so we did not have to be a one-car family. This was a unexpected blessing and we are truly grateful.

We needed a new vehicle and were a bit on a time crunch, as we had already rescheduled our postponed vacation to Georgia for a departure date of November 9.

I kept hearing the Lord telling me to, “Be still,” and “Wait.” The devotions my children did even had this verse from Psalms several days in a row, “He says, Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10.

I questioned the Lord, telling Him, “That doesn’t make ANY SENSE! How can I be still and not look for a vehicle that we need?”

So for a month, I waited. I would occasionally look online and get discouraged by the costs and mileage of used cars. When I would question and pray about it, the Lord reminded me of the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar in Genesis 16. Sarah thought she had to help God out and tried going after a good thing instead of waiting for the better thing. I kept hearing the same message, “Be still and WAIT.”

One morning, I pulled out my journal and wrote down what I was asking the Lord for. Specifically, I wanted to pay cash and avoid a car payment, have a larger vehicle as we explore the possibility of expanding our family, have mileage around 50k, tinted windows, and a backup cam.

On the evening of Saturday, October 30th my mother-in-law came over with a list of websites and vehicles she had been diligently looking up. She led us to the site that led us to this amazing 2007 Honda Odyssey with only 51k miles, and around our price range. An extensive CarFax report was available and the van was very well maintained by an older couple. No backup cam, but a sensor in the back that makes a beeping noise when you’re too close. 😉 The dealership was located in Florida City, about an hour and a half away, so we prayed on it and asked the Lord to make it happen if this was what He had for our family.

P.S. My husband’s dream car has always been a Honda Odyssey. 😉

The next day I called the dealership and negotiated a price on the phone prior to making the drive. We had the pleasure of working with a man named Antonio, who was also a believer. He made our experience there a wonderful one!

As we were there, I sensed the Lord telling me, “This is the fruit, the blessing of your obedience in waiting.” The things I prayed for specifically were met, almost to a T.

I was so tempted to rush ahead of the Lord and chase after a good thing, but could have missed out on a better thing.

Have you ever experienced a blessing as a result of obedience, Mama? I’d love to hear from you!