It started with a crazy
idea to ride my new mountain bike from my house to the end of a main road, where
I would get on a levee system and ride for 16 miles, turn around and come
back. There were several elements that
added to the craziness of this idea: I
am new to biking and my longest non-stop ride so far has been only 14 miles.
Just the thought of this 32 mile trip was a stretch for my atrophied legs. Also, I live in central Florida and we were forecasted
to have a heat index of 100 degrees that day. I was planning on leaving for this adventure
around 12:30 in the afternoon, placing me on the shadow less levee at the
hottest time of the day. Lastly, I
brought only 20 ounces of water with me.
As I pedaled the levee,
taking in the Florida wildlife within the 30,000 acre refuge, the sun pounded
down on my back. The SPF 50 sun block
was doing its job, and my speed was fast enough to dry the sweat as it rolled
down my back, giving me the illusion that I was not losing as much water as I
was. With each slug of my water bottle, I knew I
was getting closer to putting myself in a dangerous situation and before I knew
it, I had sucked down all 20 ounces of water at mile 6 of my 32 mile ride.
I reached the half way
point of my trip and sat down for a few minutes, viewing the vast horizon of palm trees and lakes.
When I got on my bike to
return home, I stumbled as I tried to get going. My thirst was starting to get the better of
me as I had already been biking for about an hour with no water in near 100
degree temperatures. I had another hour and a half in front of me, most of
which was within the refuge with no viable drinking water.
As I pedaled back, I
began to get light headed, further signs of dehydration. I prayed to God that
when I made it back to the entrance of the levee, there would be some water
source that I could revive myself at.
Ten miles later and desperate
for water, I finally neared the end of the dirt path and was closing in on the
paved road that would lead me back home. I scanned the area for some type of
safe water source and found nothing. By
now it was 3:30 in the afternoon and I was spitting dust while the sun
continued to scorch my skin. As I
persevered in my quest to complete my ride, I again prayed, “God, I really need
some water, please, give me something to drink.”
Shortly after this
prayer as I was exiting the final dirt road and entering the paved main road, I
heard the sound of water gushing from somewhere. I stopped, and I looked around not knowing
what I would find. What I saw was an answer to my prayer. A fire hydrant that was closed on my way into
the trails was now open, and spewing fresh drinking water all over the place.
This was literally an
oasis to me as the heat and lack of water had made my adventure turn into a
moment of desperation. My body was riddled
with goose bumps as I stuck my head under the flow of the crisp cool water
flowing from the open hydrant.
I drank so much water
that my stomach began to hurt, and on top of that, I was able to completely
cool down, now completely drenched head to toe in water.
This open hydrant was a
direct answer to prayer, as God reminded me that he cares about all of my needs. It also reminded me that God knows my every
need and that often times, if we simply ask of Him, he will provide.
Philippians 4:19 rang
loud in my head as I quickly drank the water that God provided for me in my
moment of need.
“And my God will provide
every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”.
Sometimes we need these
vivid reminders in life that God will supply our needs, every single one of
them. The day he chooses to stop
providing our needs is the day that he chooses to bring us home as his
children.
But sometimes, this is a
lesson that we need to learn the hard way.
For me, he chose to take care of my need for water around the 27th
mile of my trip, when I was asking for it since the 12th mile.
If you are worried that
God is not taking care of your needs, maybe you have a few more miles to travel
before he does so.
