Okay.  So I have this really stellar washing machine/dryer set that I purchased 5 years ago. Since they joined my family they have been called into use about 20 times a week… which equals out to more than 1,000 times a year… which probably totals out to more than 5,000 uses thus far. 

Being a brand name and all you would think that a fine washing machine worth its salt would be able to handle the normal load of a family of four.  Well…. almost.  It was one of those new-fangled (at least at the time of purchase) machines without an agitator. It was supposed to be easier on your clothes and use less water.  I love(d) my washing machine.  It still looks brand new.  It had never failed me  in five years… until June.  It began demonstrating strange behavior.  Regardless of the washing cycle I used, it would stop working at 13 minutes.  I resorted to hand wringing out all of our clothes.  A repairman was called in and after about 10 minutes he explained that some belts/bands were worn and that they along with some other ‘I can’t remember the name’ parts would need to be replaced…. all at an unmentionable cost that closely resembled that of a new washing machine.  Knowing that my summer would be mostly spent away from the house, we chose to ‘do nothing’ and ‘wring’ when necessary.

At the end of June, I headed out of town with my children to visit friends in Dallas, TX and to attend the Dallas Gift Market.  While I was gone, I suggested to my husband that he do his own laundry and ‘wring out’ his own clothes.  I was thinking that this would prompt him to an easy ‘forgone’ conclusion that we needed a new washing machine ‘on the double’.  In reality… he did NO laundry.  Upon my return from Texas, I escorted my children to the family lake house in upstate New York and felt freedom away from the broken machine and ‘wringing laundry’ and gratefully found the full service wash, fold and fluff service of Grandma. 🙂  (Thank you God for Grandma… a.k.a. Angel on Earth with a servant’s heart!)

The kids and I returned in the middle of August with piles and piles of laundry.  Begrudgingly, (and covered in prayer) my husband and I eyed a replacement and agreed on a delivery date.  It’s not that we didn’t desire a new washing machine, but forking out the money right now didn’t seem as exciting.  I had researched washing machines and discovered the plethora of issues that they have.  The delivery date was two days away and I began to get cold feet.  I wasn’t ‘certain’ that the replacement was the one that we should get.  I just didn’t have ‘peace’ about it.  Sooooooo we canceled the delivery.   

Here is where it gets real interesting.  I HAD to do laundry.  We needed clean clothes.  I accepted the fact that I would need to wring out every sock, boxer short, t-shirt, wash cloth, towel, etc. so I loaded up the injured friend and turned her on.  I stayed close listening and waiting for the dreaded multi-beep ‘I can’t do any more’ signal, but it never came.  I listened and couldn’t hear the washing machine so I peaked into the laundry room and saw that it had FINISHED!

I was amazed.  I giggled in absolute awe and thanked God.  I yelled to my husband that the Lord just gave us a load of clean laundry.  I heard his, ‘Praise the Lord’ from the other room.  I figured I’d load it up again.  The same result!  And again…. the same result. 

To date, we have received more than 16 more loads of clean laundry from our Lazarus Washing Machine.  We are grateful that we have a God that cares about EVERY detail of our lives.  We rejoice in every additional load of clean clothes that comes our way. 

Trivial??!!  I don’t think so.  Scripture says,

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  1 Peter 5:7

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what he has done and be amazed.   They will put their trust in the Lord.  Psalm 40:1-3

If God cares about my washing machine, consider how much more He must care about things that are actually important in my life… health, welfare, family, children, relationships, marriage, etc.

I pray that you have a Lazarus event in your life.