We might have found a good deal on a new car. There was a big hail storm in Austin back in February or March, which caused tons of hail damage on cars all over the city. This Volkswagon place has a 2005 model with only 43 miles on it for $4,000 less than its sticker price, which makes it in league with used cars price-wise. Right now we're in a waiting game to see if the person at the office will give us the price they quoted (which sounds funny). When they showed us the final offer, however, with all the tax, title and license, there was still an invisible $1,500 they were trying to slip in there. We counter-offered via email; or actually we questioned their math. If they come back with some straight-up math, we may have found my replacement vehicle. I've never owned a "new" car, so that would be a plus. We'll see. It looks good, but nothing is for sure until the bottom line gets signed.
Psalm 146 talks about not trusting princes...
"...in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs,
they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing."
I imagine that the psalmist may actually be refering to an experience he had; but it could just be a moral lesson (I doubt it; I bet there's a "prince ripped someone off" story behind the scenes there somewhere...).
"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them --
the Lord, Who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord wataches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow..."
God is in control.
That propensity to root for the underdog
and lift up the downtrodden...?
That is surely given to us by our Creator.
Look at His quickness to lend help to those that need it.
It is surely true that -- the more we treat those less fortunate than us with care,
the more we are being like Him.
I've always felt a certain connection with Jacob myself. He's the father of Israel, and he lived to be like 140 years old or so, but in his entire lifetime, only the final 17 years of his life were blessed. He was a nomad. He lived in tents and was very transient. By worldly standards he may not have had much, but he fathered the 12 tribes of Israel, of which Jesus was an offspring of, of course. I believe God watches with special interest when we do something nice for someone less fortunate.
Thanks for your words, Doug.