(Psalm 118:21) I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. 

There are many reasons to give thanks to the Lord.  The obvious number one reason is our salvation.  Our sins are forgiven because Jesus took our sins upon himself and paid the ransom for us on the cross. And then there’s eternal life.  I’m also very grateful for that.  But what about the everyday answers to our prayers.  Sometimes I just go on about my business, and I don’t even recognize that God has answered my prayer. 

A couple of weeks ago, my wife called me from the bathroom saying she couldn’t turn off the water to the bathtub.  I quickly went to the bathroom to see what the problem was.  The valve had stuck open and wouldn’t stop pouring water into the tub.  I tried to get it closed and finally hit it very hard with my fist.  Fortunately the bruise on my hand was worth it.  The valve closed.

With company coming, I quickly got to work fixing it.  I shut off the water to the house, and, with my handy valve pulling tool (I’m proud of my specialty tools), I managed to extract the valve.  I took it to the Ace Hardware man, and he pulled one off the rack for me. Away I went to install my new valve.  As with most easy fixes, there was a problem.  I couldn’t get the new valve to fit right.  I tried everything I could think of to make it work even modifying the pin that held the valve in place.  Nothing worked.  The best I could accomplish was warm water.  If I turned the knob to the hot side I got warm water, to the cold side I got warm water.  I finally decided that the Ace Hardware man gave me the wrong valve.

After company left and I had a day when I was home alone, I turned off the water, pulled the valve, and headed back to the Ace Hardware. 

The purpose of telling you this story has a lot to do with that second trip to the hardware store.  Driving along, I realized that I was having trouble catching my breath.  I remembered only one other time did this happened to me.  The doctor told me that it was anxiety.  Yes, I was overly worked up about this valve problem.  I began to pray and ask the Lord to help me.  I asked that he’d help me resolve this problem.

Arriving at the store, I hastily went to the plumbing department to discuss the problem.  During the discussion to convince the man behind the counter that I had the wrong valve, I showed him how the pin didn’t fit.  He reached over and turned the valve 90 degrees.  The pin fit just like it was supposed to, and he pointed out that now with the valve in the correct position the hot and cold would work correctly.  A moment of silence prevailed.  My error became so obvious.  I thanked him for straightening me out, pick up the valve, and left the building.

Even in my humiliated state, I understood that my anxious moments were finished.  Now I could go home and restore normal valve function to the bathtub.  I was elated that the problem was resolved.    Then the realization came over me that God had answered my prayer.  I spent the rest of the trip home expressing thankfulness to God, for he had answered me. 

Asking God for help, for wisdom and guidance in these everyday situations, is a big part of my relationship with God.  I find that he is always faithful to answer me.  I just need to be faithful to thank him.