When my
wife and I got married we were quite strapped for money, so I decided to get a
simple silver wedding band instead of a gold one. "Besides, it's the thought
that matters," I figured, "not the cost."
The cheaper ring seemed to work just fine for
several weeks. Then one day my finger began to itch under my wedding band and
when I took it off I noticed some red bumps.
"It probably just needs to be
cleaned," I thought, so I bought some jewelry cleaner and polished it
thoroughly. That seemed to do the trick for a while, but it wasn't long before
the itching and red bumps returned.
It was finally obvious to me that I was
having some kind of an allergic reaction to the metal in the ring. I didn't
want the rash and itching to continue, but at the same time I didn't want to go
without a wedding band.
One morning I dropped my wife off at work
then headed to my job. As I drove along, I was feeling somewhat frustrated over
my dilemma so I offered up a quick and simple request to God.
"Lord, I really need to get a gold
wedding band because I know it wouldn't irritate my finger," I said. "But
I just don't have the money to buy one right now."
"So, Lord," I prayed, "I'm
asking you to make a way for me to get one. And I thank you for it, in Jesus'
name. Amen."
I went on to work and thought no more
about it. About an hour later I was
scheduled to meet with a local merchant whose business was only a couple of blocks
from the office.
Since it was so close, and it was such a
nice day, I decided to walk instead of drive. After the visit was over, I
walked out the front door and strolled across the street.
I stepped up on the curb and started down
the sidewalk. Something had briefly caught my eye as I was stepping up on the
curb and I decided to go back and take a closer look.
It was well into the fall season and there
were a lot of brown and yellow leaves heaped against the curb. I looked down
and there, in the midst of the fallen foliage, I caught the glimpse of an oval
shape.
At first glance it looked like a weathered
piece of brass, but when I pulled it from the leaves it was apparent it was a
tarnished wedding band.
I looked inside to see if there were any
initials or names, but found none. I did, however, see the jeweler's stamp that
clearly read "14K." "This could be an answer to prayer," I thought,
so I tried it on. It was almost a perfect fit!
As I stood there excited at the
possibility of finally having a gold wedding band, the thought suddenly occurred
to me, "someone has lost this and would like to get it back."
"Oh well," I said to myself, slightly
disappointed, then set out to find the owner. My first idea was to check with
the county newspaper to see if anyone had reported a lost wedding ring. No one
had.
My
next plan was to call the local police station. I described the ring and told
the officer exactly when and where I had found it. I then asked him if anyone
had reported losing a gold wedding band.
He said, "no." I then asked him what I should do with it. He
remarked quite absolutely, "Keep it. Looks like you got you a wedding
band!"
From its tarnished appearance, it was obvious
the ring had been laying against the curb for quite some time. And there was no telling who lost it or
exactly when.
I continued to check in with the local
newspaper and, after several days, finally accepted the idea this was in fact a
remarkable, and very fast, answer to a needful prayer.
It's important to note here that I've
never been one to find things of value very often. But when I have, it has
always been exactly what I needed, at exactly the right time. And it almost
always occurred immediately following a heart-felt prayer to God.
*********************
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