In 1993, I was shipping 40’ sea containers to Romania with
Scriptures and relief supplies to pastors and churches. I visited several Bible colleges to recruit
students for a short-term mission trip in the summer to distribute the
Scriptures. I was given the name of a
travel agent in Hoover, Alabama near Birmingham. Since we had 38 people going, the agent
assured me that she could provide tickets for $850 round-trip from any location
in the US with everyone meeting in Atlanta and flying out of there. I contacted each person and got their names,
passport numbers, contact information, and the name of the nearest airport. I forwarded the list to the agent early in
the winter … plenty of time for her to book the flights. But as time wore on and no tickets, I became
anxious. I kept calling her with no
results. Finally, I called the owner of
the agency, but she knew nothing about our trip. Now it was time to panic. I explained to the owner of the travel agency
that it was too late for me to find another agent. The owner said that the agent was out of town
on a cruise to Alaska. She told me when
the agent would be back in the office. I
left early and arrived in Hoover waiting for the office to open. When I told the secretary who I was and who I
wanted to see, the cover-up began. She
said that the agent wasn’t in the office, so I said that I would wait (they had
no idea how stubborn I could be). I went
to lunch and came right back. The owner
invited me into her office and explained that she didn’t think that they could
help me. I said, “Your agent gave me the
price, assured me that she could get the tickets, and I’m counting on her. I have no choice. I’ll wait and speak to her in person.” The office closed at six, and I told the
secretary that I would be back in the morning.
I bought some clothes at Walmart and spent the night at a motel. I was waiting in the parking lot for the
office to open the next morning. The
owner of the agency ushered me into her office and said that they would honor
their commitment (I already knew that).
She said, “We’ll send you the tickets in the mail.” I replied, “I was told that by your agent
several times. I’ll wait right here
until I have 38 tickets in my hand. I
have a check here for $32,300.” And with
that, I handed her the check. She was
speechless. I spent the rest of the day
in the waiting room, but by six that evening, I left with 38 tickets in my
hand. Hey, Jesus told the parable of an
unjust judge and a persistent woman. She
needed relief and pestered the judge until she got help. Jesus made the application and said in Luke
18:7, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them?”
Hey, do you have a need? Pray to
your loving heavenly Father about it … and don’t give up. Be persistent, like the widow in Luke 18. And be ready, because God will answer your
prayer. Yes, He will!
