Yesterday, my husband and I separate on the trail so he can retrieve our car. I take my daughters and follow the sign that says “Park Office.” Easy. He’ll walk the two miles to get our car and meet his tired ladies at the air conditioned Park Office.
However, the Park Office isn’t at the end of our path. It’s far, far away. The end of the path is a strange parking lot. No Park Office. We’re lost.
I’m starting to get nervous. There’s no way my husband will figure out what random parking lot we’ve reached in this huge state park.
I’m sitting there, worried. I’m trying not to panic. We have no cell phone service and no way to find each other.
What to do? Well, I decide we could just start walking and hope for the best. This is a terrible idea when you’re lost. Suddenly, my youngest throws her hands in the air and says, “Well, we can pray, can’t we, Mom?”
So we do.
Jesus, help us. Send help because we are lost.
Right then–right then!–a dear, sweet park ranger drives right up to us–he looks like a skinny Santa Claus–and asks us if we need help.
Right then! Right then! We pile into his car, and he drives around until he finds my husband for us. Apparently, the Park Office was miles away. The parking lot was where folks got their cars to drive back to the Park Office. Who knew?
All I know is we were lost, and God answered. I see the way that our getting lost helped build my daughter’s faith. The purpose of that fear was to build faith, to get us to pray, and to allow us to experience God’s provision.
Well, we can pray, can’t we?