Blue Antiqued Furniture and a Birchbark Canoe

God sometimes answers prayers that seem unimportant in the big picture of our lives. But he has his reasons, and they often exceed our understanding at the time.

When I was in high school, a marching band from another part of the state was coming for an overnight visit with our band. I don’t remember what the event was, just that two of the girls stayed at my house. I was changing my bedroom from pink to blue around that time. My mother was repainting my furniture dark blue and using a kit to give it an antique finish.

I was so excited about my new furniture. The antiquing made it special. However, I wasn’t sure Mom had enough time to complete the job by the big weekend. That shouldn’t have mattered much, but it did to an insecure teenage girl. I needed all the help I could get so my guests would enjoy their stay with me. Partially finished furniture would surely lower my likability.

Although I desperately prayed that Mom would finish, I was losing hope as the day approached and one piece still lacked its antique treatment. Then the night before the band’s arrival, she made the final brushstroke. I was overjoyed.

The girls were very nice and I enjoyed the time with them. I’m sure the condition of my bedroom furniture did not have much impact on their opinion of me, though. It may have bolstered my self-image for a short time, but what I most remember about the entire weekend is that God answered my seemingly unimportant request. Why would he bother with something so trivial . . . and selfish? David also wondered: “O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?” (Psalm 144:3).

Thirty-five years later, I was off for a fun day with a friend in the gift shops of Waynesville. As we got out of the car in front of one of our favorite shops, Dolores asked me what I was looking for that day. She knew I always had some project going that had me searching for interesting items.

I did happen to be working on something for my husband. He was putting on an annual festival at school, part of which involved themed flower beds. I was helping to design and create them. That year they would depict snapshots of the city’s history on the bank of the river. I did need a particular item, but I wasn’t thinking of it at all that day.

As we entered the store, I told Dolores I wasn’t shopping for anything special. I explained that I wanted a birchbark canoe, but since I hadn’t been successful yet in locating one and didn’t expect to find one that day, it wasn’t on my radar.

But now she had me thinking about it. While we walked through the shop admiring the charming décor and merchandise, I kept an eye out for any canoes. This was definitely the type of shop one might float through. But I saw none, birchbark or otherwise. Not a surprise.

A supplier happened to be in the store that day. Dolores and I completed our browsing and were leaving the store just as he finished a conversation with the store owner and walked outside. He was friendly and we began talking. Being the good salesman, he asked if we found what we wanted. I figured I’d stump him with my canoe search. He listened and asked questions. Then he said to wait there a minute and he disappeared into his van.

He returned shortly carrying an eighteen-inch-long birchbark canoe! I’m sure the shock was evident on my face. The canoe had been part of a three-piece set, all different sizes, but this was the only one that hadn’t paddled away. He asked if the size would work. At first I thought it might be a little too large, but I quickly decided that since God provided it, it was the perfect size. I asked how much he wanted for it. He said I could have it if I bought something from the shop. Deal closed.

As the salesman left, Dolores and I looked at each other, laughing and giddy. We had just watched God hand deliver my canoe. God sometimes answers prayers we haven’t even voiced, popping up in our lives and reminding us of how well he knows us. David experienced this. He said, “²You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar . . . ⁴Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord” (Psalm 139:2, 4).

My completed-just-in-time blue antiqued furniture and the remnant-from-a-salesman’s-van birchbark canoe were not simply answers to trivial requests. God was doing something so much bigger. He was building a relationship with me.

Every time I think of my furniture or that canoe, I can’t stop a smile from spreading across my face. Not because I had a cool bedroom to impress my guests with or because I was able to create a more authentic historical display. It’s because those material items instantly remind me of how God blows me away with his love.

Scripture quotations are from NIV.

Photo of white sand beach (without verse) by Marcello eM from FreeImages