I was reading scripture on the coldest night of our Michigan winter when the fan on my furnace started squealing. I wasn't sure what I should do. I had deliberately set aside that time to read scripture. Should I stop and work on the furnace or keep on reading. I decided that the scripture was more important and kept reading.

After a while I got tired. The fan on the furnace was still squealing as I asked God if I should sleep. "Yes." I checked again as I wanted to make sure I was truly submitted about sleeping. "Yes. I want you to be so at peace trusting me that the world can be in turmoil around you can you can still sleep." So I slept.

When I awoke in the morning the fan was still squealing. I remembered that my brother's furnace fan squealed once and he fixed it by simply cleaning it. I felt like I should have cleaned mine before going to sleep. "No. You were right to sleep."

I turned my furnace off and cleaned the fan. When I put it back in the furnace and turned it back on the fan froze. Now my furnace didn't work at all. "What would you have done if this had happened last night?" I would have gotten very cold, that is what would have happened. Now the sun was shining and my mobile home was actually getting warmer - even with the furnace not working.

I looked in the phone book and called a furnace repair place. Since I lived way out in the country the place was going to add a charge for the travel time. I told them I would have to think about it.

"Lord, I need to get my furnace fixed. I need someone close."

I heard the sound of a vehicle running and went to my front window. There was a furnace repair van at my neighbor's house. Now that was close! Because they were already there they didn't charge me for travel time.

Another bonus: while I waited for the repair to be completed I was able to spend still more time reading the Bible.