Where was God?

It’s been a little over nine years now since my wife died of cancer.

I can’t remember the exact date she was diagnosed, but I can remember the day I realized God would be with us throughout our ordeal.

We had been waiting several weeks to hear word that M.D. Anderson in Houston would accept us. That word finally came to us on a Friday. But there was a catch – we needed to check into the Houston-based hospital the next day.

There wasn’t a moment to lose. And while we had been anticipating the trip, we hadn’t actually done any planning for it. It would be a six-hour drive from our home, and the stay would be for an undetermined amount of time.

I began throwing clothes and other supplies in a suitcase when I suddenly realized we would need cash to take with us on our trip. Money. How would we ever afford this trip and all the expenses that awaited us?

I was mentally making a note to stop by the bank on our way out of town when the doorbell rang. Just at that moment, some of our neighbors stopped by to wish us a safe and successful trip – and to give us a large sum of cash to take on our trip.

I couldn’t believe it. How could their timing have been any better.

After thanking them and saying our goodbyes, I returned to my packing chores. I continued to sort through the want-to-take to the essentials when it hit me that I no idea of where we were actually going. I had been to Houston once, but I didn’t even know what part of the city the hospital was in.

Before I could even think about jumping on Google or calling for directions, the telephone rang. It turned out to be a friend who told us her daughter lived in Houston and worked next to M.D. Anderson. Her daughter offered not only to provide us with directions, but to meet us at the hospital the following day.

Again, the timing was perfect. Another prayer answered.

That night, as we drove, I realized that God had answered two prayers in less than an hour.

There were a lot of difficult times ahead over the next year. But we never lost our faith that God was with us every step of the way, providing guidance when we needed it, and comfort during those times we didn’t even know how to make it through the day.

Over the years, there have been times when I’ve wondered why and what happened. But I often think back to that day, and remember that God was looking out for us on that day, and He still takes care of me now.