Wanting to purchase a car suitable for our son Seizen to drive, we began looking for a car within the price range we could afford. All the cars Seizen was attracted to were in the $7-9K range, but we could only afford the maximum $5-6K thousand range.

A few years back when we were looking for a car, God provided us with a Lexus, and someone else wanted to give us their Mercedes. My husband, Morris, laughingly said, “At this rate, maybe if we wait, someone will offer us a Jaguar.”

Well, guess what? Yes...that’s right...

This is how God did it.

With still six months before having to finalize a deal, I suggested to Seizen that we begin praying for God to provide. It was about the end of the six months when Seizen came across the Jaguar. But it was so off the radar price-wise that he was afraid to mention it or even dream of it. Morris in the meantime came across a car in Houston that looked and sounded really good. We wanted a dependable car Seizen could take to California with him should the Lord open that door for him to study there.

Although the Jaguar was an inconceivable dream, much like hitting a home run to the moon, Seizen couldn’t get his heart off of it. So, out of curiosity, he called Chris, the guy who had the Jag, which he had bought at auction. The retail price was 13-14K, but Chris was selling it for $7000. Seizen and Chris hit it off, and before Seizen could ask for a discount, Chris offered to sell it to him for the price he had paid at auction––$5500. Seizen was elated!

BUT…what Seizen was soon to find out was that Morris had already put a $1,000 deposit on the car in Houston—which was nonrefundable. Though Seizen knew about the Houston car, he was upset upon learning that Morris had put down a deposit on a sight-unseen and untested car. This was to be his car, and he was angry.

Morris realized he had made an unwise move. So knowing there was nothing signed and there is no Texas law stating that deposits cannot be refunded, he called the dealership and explained the turn of events. But they said, “No.” Morris told Seizen that a man is only as good as his word, and we needed to buy the car in Houston.

So, here we were, with a car we needed to buy because of the nonrefundable deposit, but with Seizen wanting the Jag instead. He and I had already gone to see and test drive it. And it was a beaut, drove well, and needed only minor repairs. Also, it was cheaper than the car in Houston!

Seizen, feeling very disappointed, went into his room (his secret hiding place with God) and wrestled with himself and with God. He wondered why God would provide the impossible—an ‘03 Jag within our price range, and one that had now become his heart’s desire, yet the timing of it all was after the fact. He struggled with his personal vanity, knowing that God promises to meet our needs but not necessarily our wants, especially when it is a luxury car. To Seizen, what was happening didn’t make sense; it wasn’t like the Father God he knew. At the moment, it seemed like a tease.

But even in his disappointment and anger, Seizen decided to accept the “good enough” and to continue trusting the Lord that, if this was God’s best for him at this time, there must be a greater reason. He knew God’s best was better than his personal best. Soon, however, Seizen was to find out just how extravagantly generous and personally involved his Heavenly Father God was.

On a Saturday, the three of us drove the four hours to Houston to the car dealership to get the car that was “good enough.” When we got there, we found that the car was nothing like it was described either on the internet or by the dealer. With electrical problems and an oil leak, the repairs would have run more than $1,000. The car was a junk, and the management knew it. They gave us back the entire $1,000.

We drove the four hours home without a car, but with something even better. We had a new level of faith in God and a greater love for Him. God knew ahead of time that the Houston car wouldn’t work out— and He had the Jaguar waiting for us. He wanted to bless Seizen with a Jaguar!

God not only restored the $1,000—the only thing standing in the way—we were able to get this awesome Jaguar which was made in the right year and within our price range. On top of that...God being the God of detail...Seizen wanted a black or white car, and did not want a car with a tan interior—This car is black with a gray interior. What a God!

Father God provided for an impossible desire of the heart, and by using the Jaguar as a tool, He also provided for a need—a spiritual need, an amazing new “growth” in trusting God with the everyday affairs of life. Through this experience, God brought us to a new level of relationship with Him, and additionally strengthened our bond as a family. It caused Seizen to want to surrender his heart even more to God, so that he can be a conduit of God’s glory to others.

For a while, in the deal with the Jaguar, we traveled a chaotic path—but it ended up being eternally glorious,…and God smiled.

(Jasmine Lei gains her inspiration by seeing God’s hand in creation and the transformation that she has experienced throughout her life. She expresses herself best through her hands—beautifying her yard, working with flowers, Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), crafts, worship through interpretive dance, and writing. As the wife of a minister and the mother of two adult children, she considers her family to be her most precious possession.)