"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28 (KJV)
Everything was going well. Of course, I expected it to perform well. Wouldn’t you, if you had recently bought a brand-new expensive top-of-the-range printer?
I have been using it for quite some time now, and it has proven to be well worth the money I spent. The printer seemed to understand my instructions clearly—it was synchronizing well with the papers, spitting out all printed pages perfectly, with great precision; all pages pristine and colorful, without any hitch whatsoever.
On this particular day, I expected no glitches as I carefully placed my certificates of achievement one by one on the clear glass top, closed the latch, and pressed the copy button. I was quite pleased with the end product as it spat out each copied page with great care. These VIPs (very important pages) were my certificates of achievement over the years. Yes, they were all there. Perfectly copied, waiting to be certified and signed for my next teaching role.
Now for the next items on the list… to print some documents saved on my laptop. I placed some new sheets of paper in the feeder drawer for my next printing job, then pressed the print button, and everything was going well until the printer suddenly refused to print anything else. I tried repeatedly but…
Nothing happened. Was it tired? Did it need paper? No. I had just refilled the feeder.
Was there a paper Jam? I checked—no paper jam.
Was there any technical problem? No, it would have said so.
So, what was the problem?
Was there a problem with the spooler or the internet connection? No. It was connected.
I checked, and after turning the printer here, there, everywhere, and even upside down, I must confess I was nowhere nearer to solving this mystery.
Why is this printer refusing to feed the paper? Why is it not printing the last sheet?
My complaining and sighing did nothing to alleviate or solve the problem. I was frustrated, not knowing what to do. I had tried everything. Then a voice said … “Pray.”
And that’s exactly what I did. I paused, prayed, and asked God to help me identify the problem, fix the printer, and assist me in printing the necessary information for the next day.
“Open the feeder and take the papers out,” the voice instructed me.
“Now, why would I need to do that?” I murmured to myself.
Anyway, I obeyed that still small voice. I opened the feeder lid and removed the papers. I checked the pile of documents, and as I reached the last paper, the one on top of the pile—the one in line waiting to be used next.
I opened my eyes as wide as the “mouth of a crocodile.” All I could say was, “What a wonderful God!!!”
I could not stay quiet. I began to thank God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the printer for the incredible miracle they wrought for me. I praised God because Paul admonishes us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV), “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Hidden at the top of the pile of pages, the very next paper waiting to be used, was my very important Bachelor of Education degree certificate. Unsuspectingly, I had returned it to the pile of “blank” papers to be used instead of putting it aside in a safe place. What a mighty God we serve!!! God had stopped the printer for me and protected my certificate from being destroyed, knowing I would have lost it and, at the time, had no money to replace it. With the associated problems, it would have been detrimental to me.
Call to Action
We serve a mighty God who cares about the small things in our lives. He even protects items as small as a certificate. He cares about these seemingly little things because He knows they can cause big problems. He cares because He loves us. Small things do matter to God when it comes to His children who strive to love Him and seek to put Him first. If God cares about us, then even those small things in our lives that others might consider unimportant are very much important to Jesus.
We serve and worship a big God who sees even the minutest things. Can you imagine God stopping that printer just in time and holding that printer in check to protect my certificate? It is surely an amazing miracle that reinforces God’s concern for me.
Next time you are stuck with a tiny problem or doubt whether you should bother God about a tiny problem that might seem insignificant, remember Romans 8:28 KJV. Then thank Him even before He answers. Remember to praise God because His power is unlimited (Jeremiah 32:17). He is an awesome God!
