5/16 Of A Prayer Answered

Screwed!

Ginny took a day off work and we began changing the liner in our above ground pool. You wouldn’t think you’d work up a sweat in a pool but I certainly did.

I rigged and spliced various hoses to drain the remaining water; Ginny worked the outlet end of the hoses to water the flower beds so the water would not go to waste.

As the water drained, I tried to unscrew the fittings and top rails. Each of the dozens of fittings is attached with eight screws, yes, eight (8) screws! in each and every post. And two clamps, a metal baffle and a plastic clip.

All the screws have rusted in solid. Instead of unscrewing, the rusted heads tend to twist off leaving the shank of the screw embedded in the posts.

Getting just that first screw out took me over 30 minutes struggle!

I do not have the muscles for this project. But it must be done because after that limb fell, I counted 36 holes in the pool liner.

I walked next door to see if my neighbor had a 5/16^th sprocket wrench that would fit. He drove up in his truck while I was rummaging in his tool box. I told him what I was trying to do and he reached in his shirt pocket and handed me a 5/16^th nut driver. He’d picked it up at his job this morning and just happened to have it still in his pocket.

The tool was perfect for my job! By sundown I ‘d manage to unscrew about half the fittings. It’s still a monster job, but without that nutdriver, I’d be screwed.

As I worked, I reflected that while I’d been bitching and cursing and moaning about those rusted screws, I don’t recall consciously praying for help. Yet, Something prompted my neighbor to stick the very thing I needed in his shirt pocket, and Something prompted him to drive home for lunch today.

I can’t claim this is a big, dramatic answer to prayer, because I hadn’t prayed -- yet somehow, I’m reminded of the Scripture where God says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”.

On one hand, I felt thankful for this small mercy as a sign of God’s care in providing me with the right tool to do the job.

But, of course, being the kind of Christian I am, I immediately wondered If God cares for me, then why’d He allowed that branch to fall and punch 36 holes in my pool liner in the first place?

Well, like my grandfather used to say, “Some folks would complain if you was to hang ‘em with a brand new rope”.