He's our advocate

Yesterday my friend George went to buy a new car and I tagged along for morale support. Buying a car can be quite an ordeal. It should be easy. For example George had already qualified for an auto and all he needed to do was fax in the paperwork. He went online and located two or three cars he wanted to look at. The prices were listed and all the pertinent facts were there to see. All we had to do was kick the tires.

We made the mistake of stopping at another place along the way and a short jaunt turned into an all day affair. I don't know why car dealers like to play games. Since my brother in law and a couple of good friends worked at a dealership a few years ago, I learned a lot about the business. It reminds me of a shell game and I don't like to play along.

George actually found a car he liked and the price was reasonable. We haggled a bit and then he signed the papers. I had to run some errands so I left. But then they ran him around in circles for a while. They began to play games and really left him hanging most of the afternoon. I came back to check in on him after a couple of hours and they had basically ignored him from the moment he signed a purchase agreement.

Like Jesus storming the temple, I came in and ended the charade. I told the salesman that we were leaving and George wanted his deposit back. Immediately the whole place moved into action. Within ten minutes George was the center of attention again and within forty minutes he was driving out of the lot. I joked about me playing the bad cop to his good guy cop. But the truth is that I acted as his advocate and helped move the process along.

It got me thinking about Jesus. Sometimes it seems as if the world is against us. Nothing seems to work in or favor. It is at those moments that Jesus has promised to step in on our behalf. He speaks up and make things happen. The apostle Paul asked, "If God is on our side, who can be against us?" What I did for George is nothing compared to what Jesus does for us. He opens the doors to heaven and brings God's grace to us. Thank God we have a friend in Jesus.
Cal