The other day I went to an ATM here in Puerto Quito and tried to take out some money. So I got through the steps with my pin number and the amount, and I hit the button and wait. The machine whizzed and buzzed, and then after a bit, it said on the screen Transaction OK. Well, it was OK for them, because I didn’t get any money. I tried a few other times, and the same thing. Transaction not OK.
After giving up, I had a sense inside of me that I should follow up on this. I was able to go a few days later online to look at my account. I logged on and drew up the recent activites page, and there staring at me are my failed tries at the ATM, all charged to my account as if I had actually gotten money.
So, today I called the bank back home. A woman answered and I began to explain what happened. “You see I went to the ATM, and I tried to take out…” “Hold on a minute, what’s your account number?” “It’s ….” “Well, now, I tried a few times and …” “OK, what are the last 5 digits on your card…” “It’s ….. so, I tried a few times at different amounts and I didn’t get any money …” “So did you get any money.” Well, it went on like that the whole time. I couldn’t finish thoughts or sentences. A nice woman, but not a listener.
So after the 10 minutes, this was the conclusion: my card had been compromised, and that it will be canceled and a new one sent out. So, I hang up the phone and start wondering how I’m going to get an ATM card all the way down here in the middle of nowhere, Ecuador, I had this thing move inside me. I mean, not like an alien or parasite living inside me, I mean in my conscience. It wasn’t words with a human voice – but it was a voice. It said, “Something’s wrong here.” I thought to myself, “I wonder if they think that my card was stolen. I wonder if they know that I was the one trying to take money out of the machine.” It was something in my gut that was saying “Transaction not OK.”
So I called back, and this time I got a different woman, who was familiar with my phone call. I started to explain to her that I thought maybe there was some misunderstanding, that I had tried to take out the money myself. “Oh, you tried to take out the money. Oh, that changes everything. There must just be something wrong with the ATM machine. I was just canceling your card, but now I’m keeping it active.” “Thank you,” I said. That was a listener. Now, no more card cancellation, no more wondering how I’m going to get a debit card sent here, no finance charges for using my credit card to get cash. That second phone call saved so much aggravation. Because I listened to that voice inside, I thought, “Transaction OK.”
God has given us a great gift, built right into us. It’s a voice deep down inside that will lead us if we listen to it. It will take us to the point where we can resolve our problems and find peace even in the midst of the brokenness of life, to the point where we can rest in the truth:
Transaction OK.
He who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease. (Prov 1:33)
ALM 