“Acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby, good will come to you.”—Job 22:21

In my teen years, when I was still living with my folks, I observed the Lord intercede at unexpected times in my life. You might say this was a little thing, but some of the “little things” that happen are some of the most direct evidence of God at work.

I was about 16 and working as a bellhop at a local hotel. I escorted new guests who requested assistance to their rooms and helped them with their luggage. Most of them would give me a quarter or two, which was typical back in the mid-1960s. If I got a dollar tip, I counted myself lucky. I usually got two or three dollars in tips, and on a good Sunday evening, I could make five dollars.

Around this time, my parents’ congregation was building a new church, and families could donate special gifts for the new structure. When my dad told us at our Sunday lunch that our family would fund the sizeable wooden cross displayed on the side of the building, I vowed that whatever I earned in tips that night I would give as my contribution.

The Lord heard me. Up to then, five dollars was the most I had reached on a good night. But that night, I received three times as much — fifteen dollars! My dad was so surprised when I gave it to him that he questioned me,

“Are you sure you want to give up this much?” He knew it was a lot of money for me.

 “Yes, I’m sure. The Bible says when you make a vow to follow through on it.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4)

To be honest, I don’t think I would have made that much if I hadn’t told God I would give it to Him. Indeed, He inspires the givers to give.

I was aware of the presence of a Supreme Being in many subtle yet beautiful ways, including the moments He whispered to me as I enjoyed walking in His beautiful creation and my family’s fellowship. However, I often failed to recognize His voice because I just assumed it was my own natural thinking.

With time, I became aware of the superficial values held by many of my church’s members. I began to lose faith in religion and, therefore, in God. I remember one outing with our church youth group. Our youth pastor decided to take us down to the “strip” in Atlanta, where the hippies hung out in the late 1960s. As we passed by them, observing them like we would animals in a zoo, our youth leader began to mock them.  

            “Look at the beards on those guys, and such long hair! What strange clothes; some of them are barefoot. I bet they smell bad!”

           I thought, “Didn’t Jesus have a beard and long hair? When he and his disciples traveled around, did they always have shoes? Were they able to take showers?”

The hippies who observed us gawking at them smiled and waved at us. Their attitude surprised me.

A couple of years later, my older brother and I moved from our family’s house into an apartment near downtown Atlanta. I had met a girl sometime earlier in the spring who lived in a small town about 60 miles south of Atlanta, and I decided to visit her. It was early summer, a beautiful morning, perfect for hitchhiking. What could go wrong?

I caught a ride that almost immediately took me halfway there. I waited ten or fifteen minutes and got another ride ten more miles down the road until the driver had to turn off. The sun was well into the sky now. It was about 11 a.m., and I wished I had brought some water with me. A half hour went by, then an hour, an hour and a half with my thumb out, nothing…. Naturally, I started complaining.

Even though I didn’t have much faith, I knew He was real, so I challenged Him; “Where are you now, huh? Now when I need you! I thought you were supposed to provide all our needs. Doesn’t the Bible say that? You take care of the birds; why don’t You take care of me!? I’m hot and thirsty, sweaty and tired, and I need a ride!”’

As I sulked in silence, an idea struck me: “I think the scriptures say something about putting Him and His kingdom first.” (Matthew 6:33) I asked myself, “How do I even put Him first? I have no idea where to begin.”

I walked off the side of the road, bowed my head, and folded my hands. I stumbled through a sinner’s prayer the best I could.

“Lord, I remember something about ‘Create in me a clean heart, and renew my spirit.’ So please, Jesus, purify my heart and give me the right spirit.”

I had barely finished my prayer when I heard a car pull off the road behind me and halt on the gravel shoulder. I didn’t even have my thumb out! As I raised my head, the man behind the wheel asked,

“Hey, you need a ride?”

“Yeah, thanks a bunch!”

He took me to the town I was going to. I had a good afternoon with my friend and got home safely that night.

That memory lasted: Put God first, and the rest will follow. I still had to overcome my own will, but before getting to that, let me leave you with another promise.

“All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because [if] you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”—Deuteronomy 28:2

To clarify, I add the “if” because many of God’s promises are conditional; read the whole chapter. Certain things happen if you obey, and others happen if you do not obey. See Isaiah 1:19- 20; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Jeremiah 18:8-11; Matthew 7:24-27; etc.