This story is something that changed my life and my understanding of HOW much God loves us and wants to be a part of our lives, of how much He is into the smallest of details concerning us. It is something I have NEVER forgotten.

It was the late 80’s. I was working as secretary for a church and Christian school. It was my birthday  It was a day God overwhelmed me with His love.

I do remember I was having a bit of a – oh let’s just call it was it was – a pity-party.  My mom always made a huge deal out of birthdays and for some reason this day I was hit with the lonesomes.  My parents lived 360 miles away. No one knew it was my birthday.

When one of the staff member’s wives came into the office with a huge store-bought sheet cake and said, “Happy Birthday, Nan!” I was shocked. It was one of the nicest things anyone had done for me for my birthday outside of family.

It was a wonderful gesture and I gladly shared pieces with everyone who walked into my office. Part of that was because I couldn’t stand store-bought cakes. At all. My mom home-made everything and store-bought couldn’t compare. I never ate them but I sure wasn’t ungrateful for her thoughtfulness.  

BUT. I remember saying to God, under my breath, “Lord, I really appreciate this cake but it sure would have been nice to have my favorite cake for my birthday!” I wasn’t even asking for it, it was just a random thought, that “it sure would be nice”.

Later that day, one of the mother’s of students in the school stuck her head around my office door.  She said, “Hi.  Do you like pineapple in food?”

I thought that was a super strange question but I replied, “Yes! As a matter of fact, it’s in my favorite cake!”

She looked at me a little strangely, then came into the office carrying a container and said, “Oh good!  A lot of people don’t like it. God woke me up early this morning and told me, ‘Get up and make your Pea Pickin’ Cake for Nan’ and I was concerned because not everyone likes this cake.”

I was thinking, “Oh goody, goody, another cake.”  Yes, I had to later repent of my sarcasm.

She pulled the lid off the cake pan and I burst into tears.  There on her platter was my favorite cake, what my family called, “Mandarin Orange Cake.”  I just stared at it while crying and I am sure Susan was really getting concerned that she’d missed it!

I blubbered, “Oh my gosh! That’s my favorite cake! I JUST said to God earlier today that it would have been nice if I could have had my favorite cake on my birthday.”

Well then, she got tears in her eyes, too.  She told me that it was the first time that God had dealt with her to do something like that. She wasn’t confident that she’d really heard from God because it seemed such a strange request and was such a strange cake to make.

We both just basked in the knowledge of God’s love – that He would wake up the only person on earth in that area  who could make that cake in time for my birthday. She found out she heard God’s voice very clearly.

I found out God cares very, very much about the smallest details in our life that matter to us.  He loved me so much, even before I asked He prepared the answer.

Talk about proof of that scripture in Matthew 6:8, “… for your Father KNOWS what you need BEFORE you ask Him!” (GWT)

That is why, years later, I still remember that miracle day. I still remember that God loves me THAT much.

The coolest part? He loves YOU that much, too.