THE HUNGRY CAB DRIVER

It was the 30th of August; a Sunday morning at 7.15am.

She hailed a cab.

JW, please. She requested groggily.
"Which route? TPE-CTE-PIE or KPE-PIE or KPE-AYE-*****************?"
Errr... The shortest one.
"It's all about the same distance, Miss. Not much difference actually. It's basically from one end of the island to another." He explained.
Oh... Any route then. I have no preferences.

The uncle picked a route, to which she agreed to. The taxi took off. She looked out of the windows. It's going to be a good, long, smooth (expressways all the way!) 30minutes ride.

"You're going to the church building, are you not?" The uncle asked.
Yep, I am.
"Ahhhh... Attending service?"
Nope, mine is on a Saturday.
"I see. I'm a Christian myself, too! I'm going for service later at 9am."
Really? Where is it at?
"(insert here). And I'm having a renewing of marriage vows later. They're holding it for all the married couples in the church."
Wow! That's sweet. Are you excited for it?
"Oh, well. Ok, I guess. It's usually the ladies who are more enthusiastic over these things. Oh, well, so long as the wife likes it, I don't mind the hassle."
She laughed. Have you bought anything for the occasion? A rose, perhaps?
"Oh, our god-daughter is getting something prepared for us."
That's good. It'll be good to have something on hand. Women like surprises.
"Oh, yeah. I'll be getting prepared for the vows event after this trip. Hopefully, I would be able to pick up a passenger from JW on the way back down."
She smiled. That'll would be the most ideal.
"Then what are you going there for?" He asked. "From here all the way to JW?"
Ministry.
"Ah... God is good. He is faithful. You know what? You're my 4th passenger of the day. And all trips I've made are good ones. Adding yours on, I would have enough to cover the day's rental!"
She widened her eyes. It is only 7.15am. Wow! It's still so early in the morning! This is YOUR day, isn't it? She teased.
"Yep. With these good trips, I can have a good, relaxed time at the renewal of vows later. You know, without feeling..." His voice trailed off, clearly searching for a better word to articulate his thoughts.
The heaviness? She offered. The burden?
"Yes! That's right. Without feeling burdened or heavy, because the rental cost is covered; and whatever I earn now from this trip forth goes into my pocket. God is faithful. He takes care of things on our behalf when we place Him first. You know, I have a Christian friend who only drives taxi on only 3 days out of a week. Other days, he's busy with family, ministry, service and etc. And guess the income he makes? It's in the range of $2000 -$3000!"
Wow!
"Yes! Amazing, isn't it? I tell you, this God is real. Really real. How to deny? Who can deny?"
She leaned her head back on the backrest. Yea, she smiled and agreed. Indeed.

"Can I share with you a radio station?" He asked.
Certainly, of course.
"This station; FM***. It's an overseas broadcast. But, anyway, it's quite good. They have 3 slots per day; and sometimes during the broadcast, they'll invite listeners to call in and share testimonies."
Oh, really? I've never heard of this station before.
"Yep. It's really pretty good. Anyway, is your family Christian?"
Nope.
"Ahhh... Only you?"
She smiled.
"Anyway, as I was saying, this station is really quite good. Whenever the slots are on, I would tune in to this station and listen to the gospel music and testimonies. It's really good to listen to radio stations like this one, you know. It cheers me up and reminds me of His goodness. And, well, there's only so much a person can do. We can only do this much, the rest is up to Him. So, whenever this radio slot is on, and when I have passenger(s) in the car, I would let Him do the work. Same to you too. When one is saved, the whole household shall be saved."
She smiled, gratified and yet ashamed that a complete stranger has greater faith to proclaim this promise than she has.

"Then have you fall under the power before? How does it feel like? Oh!" He added as an afterthought. "Can you speak in tongues?"
She blinked. Yes.
"Oh, really?! Then, can you pray for me?"
She blinked. She looked around. This is a taxi. She found her voice. Eh? Pray for you? As in... For your tongues?
"No, no. Just, you know, general praying. Pray FOR me. It's a "secret language" between us and God, right?"
She blinked. Yes, it is.
"Ok! Then can you pray for me?"
She blinked. She looked around. This is a taxi. She found her voice. Me? Yea, sure, she answered and leaned forward against the resistance of the seat belt. Ermmm, if you want.



"Thanks. Really thank you so much. It feels different. You know, starting the day with someone praying for you; praying over you. And in a language which only One understands. The deep things of the heart and all. I'm sure He hears it and knows my heart. Thank you so much."

She blinked. Don't mention it. You're welcome. It's not me anyway. And it's my pleasure.

They arrived at her destination. She gave a $50 note. Have a good time at the vows later. She took her change and alighted the car.

"God bless you!" He called out.
God bless you, too.

She closed the door. The car drove off. She looked at the change.

The uncle has given her a 10% rebate.



It was only 7.45am. She felt different from half an hour ago before the taxi ride. Ashamed of herself, yes, but more than that. Inspired. A wake-up call.



When is the last time you initiated and asked someone - what more a COMPLETE STRANGER - to pray for you; to pray over you? Or, for that matter, have you ever?

He has just shown her what being really hungry and hankering after Him is all about.