Divine Providence Keeps Me Up And Running

Wed., June 2, 1999

Arreta Smith Special To Opinion

I do the church newsletter for Cheney United Methodist Church and my sister, Lorna does the Sunday bulletin. The old computer we’d been using up and died on us. Then, one day I was writing some checks to a few charities and I was just about ready to write one check for $20 when I heard a voice say, “Fifty dollars.”

I didn’t really want to but I wrote that check for $50 and on a separate piece of paper wrote a prayer request to that organization. My prayer request was for a home computer. Later in the day, my nephew who was visiting from Connecticut came to the church where his mother and I were working.

We thought he’d come to give us a ride home but he said, “I’ve come to buy you a computer.”

I was so surprised, because I had not yet mailed my prayer request. My nephew did not know about the prayer request. Nobody knew about it. I got a new computer that day and I was overwhelmed. A computer might seem a strange thing to pray for, especially for someone 72 years old. But I have been using one for four or five years now.

I do my church volunteer work on it and I e-mail family and friends. I learned computers by taking a class sponsored by the City of Cheney Parks and Recreation Department. My sister also took the course and we checked out some books on the computer from the library.

My brother is currently visiting in Australia. Last year it was Europe. We could e-mail him regularly. He told us it costs him $5 for 30 minutes of computer time from Australia but it’s worth it. Think how much a 30-minute phone call from Australia would cost!

I have a friend who is even older than I am and we e-mail regularly. As for my answered prayer, in asking for the computer, it was not a selfish request for myself but to enable me to do more effectively the work assigned to me. I don’t believe God answers selfish personal requests. He’s not at our beck and call to do what we want. I believe God supplies our needs but not necessarily our wants. Also, I believe all answered prayer brings honor and glory to God as it is shared with others.

So with the new computer, my sister and I will continue the church work and connecting with others we love through e-mail.

Thank you, Lord.

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