I came across a true
story by a Connecticut author, A. Samuel Mattson, which speaks so simply, yet
so eloquently, about the providence of God. Please know that no matter
what circumstances we presently occupy, “God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
Jobs were hard to find
in New York City in 1930. At the age of 19, I was fresh off the boat from
Sweden and didn’t speak any English.
When I boarded the
train in my hometown of Karlskrona, Sweden, a woman next to me asked, “Where
are you going?”
“To America,” I
answered, “to make a new start.”
“My cousin Lars works
in New York City,” she informed me, “at the Steinway piano factory. Look
him up when you get there. She wrote his name on a piece of paper, handed
it to me and said, God be with you.”
It was a sweltering
New York day when I set out in search of the factory. I had no idea where
it was. I wandered the city for hours, showing people that scrap of
paper, which bore only four words: Lars Olsen, Steinway Piano. Nobody was
able to help.
I was very
disappointed, and oh so tired. When I saw a parked car, I opened the door
and slid into the back seat. Back home, anyone could rest in someone
else’s wagon or cart. I hoped the same was true here.
I soon fell asleep,
but was jolted awake by the loud blast of a whistle. Workmen streamed out
of a nearby building and one of them yelled at me in English. What is he
so upset about? I answered instinctively in Swedish that I was
sorry. Amazingly, he responded in Swedish: “What are you doing in my
car?”
I explained, then
showed him that piece of paper. The man smiled. He said the whistle
I just heard announced the end of the workday at Steinway & Sons.
Then he walked me around the corner and introduced me to someone who gave
me a job as a painter.
By now you’ve probably
guessed. The man who owned the car and the factory was Lars Olsen.
Isn’t God just
downright awesome?!? The reason you and I can lay down at night and rest
peacefully and securely is simply this: GOD IS UP…HANDLING EVERY SINGLE CARE
AND CONCERN…IN WAYS WE CANNOT SEE. (Psalm 121:4)
Trust Him.
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET YOUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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