In the summer of 2002, I was living with my Mom and my four children. I was recently divorced and the kids had not seen their father for ten months or so. Due to the medical problems of two of the kids, I was unable to work and money was extremely tight, to say the least.
One day I was putting my little boy to bed when he said, "Mama, I would like a new bike for Christmas because the bike I have right now is too small for me to ride it very well."
Groaning inwardly, because I knew there was no way a bike was in this child's future, I said, "Well, maybe that's something you should pray about." I decided I'd worry later about teaching him that sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want him to. For now, he could just pray for the bike that I could not provide for him.
Almost daily, for several months he would pray for that bike. As Christmas drew closer, my anxiety increased because I knew he was going to be disappointed on Christmas morning and there wasn't anything I could do about it.
A letter came in the mail stating that an area business had somehow gotten our name and wondered if they could sponsor the kids for Christmas. I agreed and they proceeded to take the kids names and ages. They told me they would get back with me closer to Christmas so they could set up a time to drop off the gifts.
Since it was closer to Christmas, my son didn't skip a day asking for that bike. Sometimes I would sit downstairs and cry after everyone had gone to bed. I did not want to face his disappointment and I did not want to have to teach him the "we don't always get what we want when we want it even though we pray for it" lesson at the tender age of five.
One day, the phone rang and it was the man I had spoken with from the business who was sponsoring the kids. We set up a time for them to stop by the house and I chose to have them come in the middle of the afternoon while the kids would be taking a nap. We had an area in the garage all staked out to put the stuff so the kids wouldn't see it. The appointed time came and went and while it was getting later and later, I wondered what had happened. Finally, the phone rang and the businessman apologized for being so late. He said he had received an additional $150 that morning and had needed to stop by WalMart so he could add that to the gift card they were going to give us.
Additional $150? I considered that to be a lot of money for a group to put together for a Christmas sponsorship. I asked if he just wanted to mail it to the house instead of coming by and personally delivering it and he said, "No, that's not the only thing we have."
We set up another day and time and this time he was there early. I will never forget these two men. Although I did not know who they were and would not recognize them if I saw them again, these two reminded me just exactly who is in control of our lives.
They unloaded boxes, bags, groceries and one of them handed me the gift card with over $200 on it. I thanked them, though words were inadequate and could not express what was truly in my heart. They said, "Oh, we're not done yet. We haven't brought in the best part yet."
The best part? Good grief, they had unloaded an entire trunk and backseat full of stuff. How could there be anything else?
I was putting some of the groceries in the house while they went out to their car. When I walked back out to the garage there they were; one man holding a brand new red bike and one man holding a brand new pink bike.
Stunned, I said, "Two? Bikes? My son has been praying for a bike for months now."
One of them said, "Well, it looks like it worked. Merry Christmas!" and then they left.
I stood in the garage crying over two little bikes; one red, one pink. I guessed I wouldn't have to be teaching my son about the "not always getting what we want when we want it even though we pray for it" lesson just yet. I hid the bikes anticipating Christmas morning even more than the kids.
On Christmas morning after we had read the Christmas story and the kids had opened their gifts, we went out to the garage where I had removed the bikes from their hiding places. My son's eyes were as big as they could get. "He didn't forget! He didn't forget! I knew if I prayed for it God would find me a bike! I love it! Thank you!"
That was seven years ago. Neither of the bikes are very shiny anymore and they are both too small for anyone in this house. However, I cannot bear to give them away because they represent so much to me. I rather flippantly told my son to pray for something I knew I would not be able to provide for him and he took that idea and consistently and faithfully prayed about it. It wasn't him who needed faith to believe that God would provide, it was me.
I have often said that God needed me to have those bikes even more than my son did. What I learned that Christmas was even when it looks like there is no hope, God is in control and is directing the situation. He sees and knows what our needs are and He provides for them. I also learned that sometimes God provides above our wildest dreams, to give us something even better than what we asked for. Sometimes He gives us two bikes instead of only the one we asked for and sometimes He gives us a promotion instead of just a small raise. Mostly what I learned is that He loves us, He is faithful and He hears and answers our prayers.
Today those two bikes stand in the corner of our garage. There have been many times when I have gone out to look at them or I am reminded of them when I didn't think He was listening to my prayers and in fact, even wondered if He cared about my prayers. They are the tangible evidence of a faithful and loving Father taking care of the fatherless and the simple faith of a little boy.
I dare you to pray without ceasing and see what desires of your own heart God bestows upon you.
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