Pastor Mark Hopper

by Pastor Mark Hopper

Recently I was working on a home improvement project when I ran out of material.  I had put down some new floor tile and was trying to complete the grout, but I didn’t have enough grout to finish.  Bummer!
I knew that there was a Home Depot nearby and thought they were open until 10:00 PM.  So I jumped into the car and hurried over, thinking I had plenty of time to spare.  However, when I arrived at the store, I noticed that the parking lot was pretty empty and there were not many people around.  As I walked up to the front door, I discovered that the store closed at 9:00 PM, not 10:00 PM.  The ten o’clock closing time was correct in the summer, but in the winter they had an earlier closing time.  Now what should I do?  It was only a few minutes after nine when I arrived and I could still see a number of employees inside the store.  They were cleaning up and closing up for the day.
I knocked on the glass door and one employee saw me holding my empty container.  The employee was kind enough to come to the door and listen to my distressing situation. To my surprise, he opened the door and asked me what color of grout I needed. He explained that he could not let me inside the store, but he offered to go look for what I needed. I handed him the empty container and off he went. A few minutes later, the helpful employee returned with two other employees following him. Maybe this was a security measure to make sure I wasn’t planning to rob the store.
He found a new container of grout matching the color and texture of the empty container I had given him.  When I pulled out my wallet to pay for the material, he said that he could not accept any money and that the price had been reduced. He gave it to me for free!  The small bucket of grout cost less than $10, but I never expected a huge home improvement store to give me something for free- I was amazed, and I was very thankful to have enough material to finish my late night project.  I was especially thankful for an employee who was kind enough to help me in my time of need.
There is a verse in the Bible where Jesus taught His followers about prayer.  In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, “Keep on asking and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.”  I’m sure that I said a little prayer that night when I knocked on the door at Home Depot, hoping that someone would hear and help.  How much more does God love to respond to our daily needs when we come to Him in prayer asking for His help?  All we need to do is bring our needs and requests to Him.  He always hears and He is ready to help!
Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Blvd.  Sunday services are at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.  For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org