The
Paddy Wagon
As
a mother comforts her child,
so
will I comfort you.
Isaiah
66:13
I vividly remember the day when our old Ford truck
blew a tire on our way home from the grocery store. My children were ages four, three, and a babe
in arms, and the vehicle had no jack and no spare. We were virtually homeless at the time,
living in a tiny, dilapidated trailer in the desert near New River,
Arizona. I steered the truck onto the
shoulder of the sparsely traveled road, then hustled the children out of
it.
It was a warm spring day and the kids were dressed
appropriately, so we stood by the side of the road – one child in my arms and
the other two clinging to my skirt. Tears
were not far away for the older two girls, so I suggested we pray that God
would send someone safe who could help us. We
prayed, and then we waited. It wasn’t
long before Laci was tugging on my dress and pointing down the road.
Coming toward us was a police vehicle, what my
father would have called a Paddy Wagon, with a locked cage in the rear of the
vehicle. One officer tagged the truck
and made sure the doors were locked, while the other policeman helped the kids
and I into the cage, secured the door, and drove us all the way home. For the children, this was a grand adventure,
a story that would be told over and over again.
My heart was grateful for answered prayer, and a God who delights in
taking care of His children, especially when they cannot take care of
themselves.
*
He’s
got the whole world in His hands,
He’s
got the whole wide world in His hands.
He’s
got the whole world in His hands,
He’s
got the whole world in His hands.
He’s
got all the little children in His hands,
He’s
got all the little children in His hands,
He’s
got all the little children in His hands,
He’s
got the whole world in His hands.
The
Celebration Hymnal, No. 586
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