“God, I need your help! I can’t do this without you.” That was my prayer today when I was struggling in the garden. As soon as I thought the words, God came to my rescue. All we need to do is ask and the Father will provide.
Anyone who has worked with t-posts understands these can be a severe pain to install. Much of this depends on the ground. Is the ground moist? Hard as a rock? Are there rocks? All this should be considered before trying to pound these into the ground.
The previous owners of this home left a small garden on the side of the property. It was full of weeds because they did not prepare the garden last year. I’m sure it was due to their moving plans; however, I decided to till the ground and prepare it for planting. When I began pulling the weeds, they came out very easily.
The dirt was rich and soft. It tilled very easily after I pulled the weeds, so I didn’t expect there to be any issues when I began to install t-posts. We have deer, armadillo, possum, raccoon, coyotes, rabbits, bobcats, and tons of species of birds; including turkeys. This meant, I should attempt to protect what I had planted in the ground.
The previous owners didn’t do that so maybe they had no issues or maybe they didn’t care if their food was eaten. I wanted to protect the garden so I started to put up a small fence with materials I found on the property. I began to place the first t-post and it sunk into the ground like the ground was butter.
The next t-post went in just as easily so I was getting excited that this part of the project would be smooth and quick. I was anxious to move on to the many other projects we have but to my surprise, the next t-post needed hammering. Ugh!
As soon as I put the t-post in a few inches, it would stop. I moved the t-post multiple times and the same thing would happen. Within a few inches under the dirt, the t-post stopped. I would hammer harder and harder to no avail. The t-post would not budge any further.
I decided to try t-post number 4 to see if I would have the same issue. It happened again. A few inches into the ground and the t-post would stop. I was getting tired and I began to hammer the post as hard as I could. This was difficult because my forearm has little strength in it because we have been using it so much on different projects. It was painful to grip and hammer but I wanted this project done.
As I held the t-post and began to come down with my hammer, I whacked my hand. I had caught the webbing between my index finger and thumb between the t-post and the hammer. Blood began to leak between my hands so I ran into the house to clean it up and bandage it. I was also very angry and frustrated. I just needed this done so I could move on!
Once I returned, I moved the post to another spot and it began to sink. The problem was that a portion of the garden would be exposed. I decided that it was good enough and that I was okay with whatever plant grew there would be eaten by the animals and it was a small sacrifice to make in order for me to move on.
I returned to the 3rd post. After multiple attempts and moving to different spots, I couldn’t get it to go into the dirt more than 3 inches. Something below was preventing it. Probably rocks, since this property is full of rock and it must be a huge rock because several square feet around where I wanted this post, also had the rock.
I retrieved a block of wood to help me hammer this into the ground without whacking my hand. No, I didn’t have a t-post driver. We probably should get one if we intend to install more t-posts. I was just using a hammer to the top of the post. The wood block was being chipped away. This t-post was not going to go into the ground. If I couldn’t get it into the ground, I wouldn’t be able to fence in this portion of the garden. I was at a loss.
I held the t-post where I had been hammering it so hard and looked up to the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue with big fluffy white clouds. The birds were singing all around me. The air was warm, not too hot and there was a slight breeze. That’s when I prayed in my head, “God, I can’t do this without you. I need your help. Please God! Please help me.”
I waited about 30 seconds before I looked at the t-post again. Would this t-post win? Would I really not be able to finish the fencing? I could not just walk away from this project unfinished. I heard nothing from God. No response. This is typical for me but I decided I would try one more time.
I didn’t move the t-post from where I had been trying to place it into the ground. It was in the perfect spot for protecting that portion of the garden. I placed the wood block on the top of the post. I lifted my hammer and whacked the wood as hard as I could.
As soon as the hammer hit the wood, the t-post sank into the ground several inches! I was completely surprised. So surprised, I jumped back away from the post.
What just happened? I didn’t even pray out loud! I just thought in my head these words! Did God hear me in my head?
The t-post had sunk just far enough for me to be able to put up the fence and it would hold. God had answered my prayer! He came to my aid instantly. There is no way this t-post would have sunk into the ground without God moving the rock below. God can move mountains, so He can certainly move whatever sized rock was preventing my t-post from sinking into the ground.
All I needed to do was ask God for help with the simple prayer, “God, I can’t do this without you.” For me, it was a miracle. A tiny miracle, but a miracle nonetheless. It made my day and I was able to move on to other projects. I thanked God multiple times for providing for me and coming to my aid.
I know God doesn’t always answer prayers the way we hope. So many of you are asking for miracles much bigger than this one but don’t stop asking. He answers those prayers but the answer may not be what we are praying for. I know how that feels to hear the silence and for the bad thing to happen despite the prayers. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t care or isn’t listening. Just keep turning to God, don’t walk away. He loves you so much more than you know and He really is right there with you.