IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?

I had always wanted a guitar, and in 1984 I finally received one for Christmas! I loved the few lessons I took, but there was no time to practice. I started looking forward to summer vacation when I could relax and practice what I’d been taught. The perfect place to practice would be our favorite get-away spot in the woods.

I worked in an elementary school and ran the library, with the help of student volunteers. The most difficult part of the job was library inventory time, at the end of every school year. After the library closed for the year, and all books were shelved, my responsibility was to see if every book was there. Since student helpers shelved the books for me all year, many books were shelved improperly. I worked many extra hours to complete the inventory.

As I worked the extra hours, I looked forward to relaxing and practicing my guitar at our retreat in Washington. Dick loved to fly our airplane, a four passenger Piper Pacer. So, every summer we would get away and fly to our camp spot in Washington. Our property had a dirt runway and the San Poil River ran along side of it. Our trailer was parked near the water. Because Dick liked to do all the cooking, I could always relax here. There was nothing I had to do here—except read or practice my new guitar. I pictured myself sitting on a rock with the river flowing past as I practiced all that I had been taught.

Dick and I packed up our little airplane, which we called, “Old Faithful,” and took off for Eastern Washington, near Grand Coulee. We always drove to Torrance Airport in the dark. If we took off just as it got light enough to see, we could stop a few times for gas, and land on our dirt runway in late afternoon. Little airplanes are very limited on space and weight. We carried only supplies that were necessary, and food for the first 24 hours. We would buy our groceries once we were there. Since we had no car up there, we always flew into Davenport, Washington, because the Safeway store was a half mile walk from the airport.

After a few gas stops, we arrived at our get-away spot. We made several trips, carrying everything from the airplane down the path to our trailer. There was a natural spring on the hill above our trailer, and we had a sturdy hose that ran from the spring to our trailer. Once there, we uncapped both ends of the hose and put the upper end into the running spring water. Soon we had running water! It was cold, but very convenient.

While Dick started a simple dinner, I sat down in a lawn chair with my guitar. After a few strums, I realized it needed to be tuned! I tried to remember how my guitar teacher had taught me to tune it. Oh no, I couldn’t remember how to tune it and it really sounded bad! How could I find someone to tune my guitar up here in the woods? All my plans to relax and practice were totally dashed!

“God, where can I get my guitar tuned?” I remembered that tomorrow we would be flying to Davenport and walking to the Safeway store for groceries, but where could I find someone to tune the guitar? Somewhere in Davenport I knew there were people who would tune my guitar, but we had no car to get to them, and how could I find them? I talked to God about the problem. Since I had been working overtime to get the library inventoried and closed for the school year, I was tired! I really needed this time to relax!

I reminded God that I felt this was a legitimate need. I had long ago memorized God’s promise in the Bible in Phil. 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs.” Through the years God had never failed me—He had met all my needs! My part was to talk to Him and to do everything in my power to help myself—then He always did what I couldn’t do. Tomorrow, when we flew to Davenport, my part would be to take my guitar along and carry it with me. Then I would ask everyone at the grocery store if they knew someone close by who could tune my guitar. I knew God would somehow help me get it tuned. I remembered that God said nothing was too hard for Him.

In Gen. 18:14, God told Abraham that Sarah, his wife, would have a child. Sarah overheard this and laughed quietly, because she was well beyond child bearing years. God asked, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?” And Sarah did have a baby the next year. No, nothing is too hard for Him! I thanked God that my problem wasn’t too hard for Him either.

The next day, I explained to Dick that I had to bring my guitar along, and that I might have to walk somewhere to get it tuned. He did not like this idea, since once we got groceries and ice, we needed to hurry back to the airplane to get everything into ice chests. We would each be carrying groceries, in back packs and in our arms, for a half mile, and he did not want to bother with a guitar! Tuning my guitar was not important to him, and I could tell that he was irritated. God already knew Dick’s response, but I silently talked to God about that added problem. “Help, God! I have to get my guitar tuned, yet get along with my husband! He doesn’t understand that the guitar is important to me!”

We took off and enjoyed the 20-minute flight to Davenport. We crossed over Lake Roosevelt and it was beautiful. The weather was good and Dick landed easily at Davenport airport.

We didn’t notice a car that stopped on the road to watch us land. It was a young couple who were on their vacation. They drove over as we got out of the airplane. They greeted us, asking where we were from. We explained we were camping 30 miles away and came here to get groceries.

Suddenly, I remembered my guitar and I told them it needed tuning, and I couldn’t remember how to do it. The man said, “Okay, let’s see it!” I grabbed the guitar out of the plane and handed it to him. It took him two minutes to tune it, and he handed it back to me. I thanked him, while at the same time, thanking God! “Well, we need to keep moving on,” and with that, they were gone. It happened so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to ask where they were from or how he could tune a guitar so fast? Was he a music teacher somewhere? Did he make a living playing a guitar? Could he tell that my guitar was the cheapest one Sears sold? All I know is that God knew who he was, timed them passing the airport just as we landed, and put it on their hearts to drive over and say “hello.”

I didn’t have to carry my guitar to Safeway or walk somewhere else to find someone to tune it. My husband was happy, and I was thankful! I was able to help Dick shop and come straight back to the plane, with groceries and ice. “Thank You, God. It’s true that nothing is too hard for You! You knew who could tune my guitar and You brought him right to me!” What an awesome, loving God!

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