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The ring

Mark Klassen

I first noticed it in the evening. The thumb on my left hand made its familiar feel for the ring on my third finger. But this time it found nothing. Inside, I panicked. How could I have lost my wedding ring?

At the time I noticed it, I was in the middle of a conversation with a visiting friend. I dared not admit my predicament. My wife Amy was nearby and would probably not want to hear about another case of my absent-mindedness, especially when it concerned the cherished symbol of our unending love.

What I would do now in my lonely desperation was pray. God would surely help me to remember where I had misplaced the ring, as He had done so many times before with so many other personal items I had lost. My little problem would be resolved quietly, without excitement and without embarrassment.

It was not to be. God had something else in mind. As I prayed, God spoke into my heart the words of Jesus, “If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). I knew exactly what He was asking of me as I pondered the words: I was to share the need with my wife so that we could pray together and await God’s answer. To petition God on my own, in this case, was not enough. I needed to involve my wife, despite my reluctance to do so.

At first, I hesitated, but in time I submitted to God’s prompting and went to Amy. With grace and eagerness, she agreed with me in prayer for the return of the ring.

Unknown to us, soon after our prayer, the ring promptly appeared on the floor of my friend’s car 1000 miles away. It was the same friend whom I had been talking to at the time I had realized I had lost the ring. Having no idea who it belonged to, the friend asked around where he lived in an effort to find the rightful owner, not for a moment thinking it could be me. Unsuccessful in his efforts, he purposed to hold on to the ring for a time before perhaps taking it to a pawn shop.

A couple of weeks later, this friend returned to our area for another visit. On a whim, I asked him casually if he had seen my ring. After a questioning pause, he stated, “I think I might have.” As he described the ring he had found in his car (and which still lay on his desk 1000 miles away), we concluded that it was my ring. We praised God together as we retraced our steps and figured out that I must have dropped the ring into a box that I had packed for him on his earlier visit and that he had subsequently unpacked in his car some days later.

My wife, of course, was delighted to hear what God had done, and together we praised Him for answering our prayer. God had not only been watching over my clumsiness. He had also been carefully orchestrating events to teach me a lesson about obedience and the importance of partnership in prayer.

Mark and Amy Klassen are members of Yarrow (B.C.) MB Church.

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Last modified August 2, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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