Well, I did!

Very surely and subtly, I did.

My glasses had been missing for exactly 30 long hours. And no, it isn’t funny! So stop laughing.

It all started when I was rushing to church.

I had exactly ten minutes to get there—which, conveniently, is exactly how long the drive takes, without accounting for little inconveniences like parking!

I grabbed my bag, my keys, my sunglasses, and very definitely hooked my Ray-Ban progressive glasses with my pinky finger. I dumped everything into the car—or so I thought—and was ready to take off.

Then I noticed my rose pot.

The wind had knocked it over.

I got out, bent down, straightened it, got back into the car and looked at the clock.

Great.

Now I had nine minutes.

I made it to church just as worship was beginning. I could already hear the first song as I pulled into the parking lot.

I reached for my prescription glasses.

Not there.

Passenger seat? No.

Bag? No.

I was already late, so I grabbed my prescription sunglasses and decided I could manage. Surely, I could at least roughly differentiate the pastor from the worship team. Worst-case scenario.

But just between you and me, wearing sunglasses inside church during the service was a little embarrassing.

After church, I searched the car properly.

Under the seats. Back seats. Between the seats. I moved the seats back and forth.

Nothing.

But I was 100% sure I had picked up those glasses before leaving home.

I could practically remember them hanging from my pinky finger!

Pinky promise!

I went home and searched all my bags.

Na da.

That night, I couldn’t see the TV properly and had to dig out an old pair of prescription glasses.

By then, I was beginning to console myself.

Well… they didn’t look that great on me anyway. Maybe it’s time for a new pair.

The next morning, I decided to go to the lake early and spend some time worshiping the Lord.

I love photographing the pretty birds that cross my path.

That morning, however, I simply had to assume they were pretty.

My smartphone camera was doing a much better job autofocusing than my eyes!

As I walked around the lake, I kept replaying the previous day in my head.

I know I picked them up.

Did they fall somewhere in the car?

Did they slide off when I got out at church?

Where could they possibly be?

Then two beautiful herons glided past me.

At least, I think they were beautiful.

To me, they were two large blurs.

By now, I was getting frustrated. I even started singing loudly to the worship song that was playing on my phone —which I never do.

Then, almost as if to tease me, a bright little woodpecker landed at the very top of a tree.

All I could see was a blob of red.

I pointed my phone at it anyway and clicked away, trusting the camera to see what I couldn’t. I could always admire the pictures later—after I got myself a new pair of glasses.

Somewhere during that hour-plus of worship, almost in passing, I said one little sentence:

“Lord, do You think You can help me find my glasses?”

That was it.

Then I went right back to my loud singing.

Luckily, there was no one around.

The swan was swimming peacefully on the lake despite my singing, probably stone deaf…

and definitely out of focus!

Eventually, I drove home.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed something.

The wind had knocked over my rose plant again.

I got out of the car, slightly frustrated, bent down and tried to straighten it, leaning it toward the bush beside it.

And then—

Lo and behold!

From where I was bent over, I suddenly had an eagle’s-eye view straight into the bush.

And there, right in the middle of it…

were my glasses!!

I just stared at them.

I wouldn’t have found them in a million years.

Why would I look inside a bush for my prescription glasses?

And suddenly, I understood what must have happened.

The previous day, I had definitely picked up my glasses. I must have slipped them onto the top of my head out of habit while sitting in the car. Then, when I bent down to straighten the rose plant before rushing off to church, they must have slipped off…

straight into the bush.

I had replayed those ten minutes in my mind over and over again.

I had wondered where those glasses could possibly be at least a hundred times.

But I had asked God for help once.

Just once.

“Lord, do You think You can help me find my glasses?”

And there they were.

The first time the wind knocked over my rose plant, I lost my glasses.

The second time the wind knocked it over, I found them.

Coincidence?

Perhaps someone else might call it that.

But standing there with my glasses in my hand, I knew one thing:

God knew where they were all along.

Well…

He listens.

He acts.

He answers.

In His timing.

Sometimes our job is simply to ask—with the uncomplicated faith of a child.

Although, if He is going to keep answering my prayers this quickly, He is going to be really busy with me soon!

Next time, I might even ask Him for that woodpecker as a pet! 🙂

Jeremiah 29:12 (ESV)

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”