You know those moments when God humbles you, but does it with such gentleness and humor that you can’t help but laugh. That’s exactly what happened to me recently, and it all started with a radio story that I almost brushed off as silly. 

I was driving and listening to KTIS, when a caller shared a story about his car. It wouldn’t start, so he had to tow it to a shop. He prayed, asking God that it wouldn’t be a major repair since he wasn’t in a good financial spot. Turns out, the car wasn’t broken– it was just out of gas. He was overjoyed, praising God that it wasn’t something expensive. I’ll be completely honest, I chuckled. I thought, really? You didn’t know you were out of gas? I remember thinking what a “waste” of a prayer it seemed. God has bigger things to handle, right? But God works in miraculous ways. He has this gentle way of saying, “Alright you think so? Watch this.”

Fast forward a few days. My car – recently repaired, just spent almost $3000 to fix it– starts rattling, shaking and making tons of different noises. My stomach dropped. I was so fed up, frustrated, and honestly, just tired. I remember praying something similar to that radio caller: “Please Lord, let this not be something major. I can’t handle another repair bill right now.”

My husband and his friend decided to take a look, changed the oil, and guess what? My car was simply out of oil (I’m just a girl!). The moment they filled it up and turned it back on, the noises disappeared and the shaking had stopped. Smooth and quiet like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. I was kind of in shock. It was such a simple fix, forty bucks and 10 minutes. I started to laugh because in that moment, I realized what God had done. Because suddenly I was that guy from the radio. The one I had just judged a few days earlier for praying over something so “small.” God had given me such a gentle and humbling reminder that He is in everything. 

And that’s the thing, He really is!

Sometimes we forget that the God who split the sea and raised the dead also cares about our oil changes, our flat tires, our overdue bills, and our empty gas tanks. We think our problems are too small or too silly for him. But there’s no such thing as a wasted prayer. There’s no such thing as something too small for the creator of the universe to care about. 

As I drove my now quiet and smooth car to work, I smiled and shook my head. Look how quick I was to judge someone else’s prayer, and look how God so lovingly turned the mirror back on me. He didn’t make me feel dumb. He didn’t shame me. He simply reminded me that he’s in every moment, every detail and every need. 

Prayer isn’t just for the big things. It’s for everything. We often think our faith has to be big and bold. Prayers that move mountains and breakthroughs that shift the course of our lives. But sometimes faith looks like trusting that God cares enough to show up in the tiniest corners of your day. Sometimes it’s praying over a car that won’t start. Sometimes it’s choosing to believe that even when you’re frustrated, even when things feel small and silly, God still listens. 

And that’s what I felt, that reminder that God isn’t far away, watching from the clouds. He’s in the details, in the little moments we overlook, in the laughter that follows humility. And that’s part of growing in faith. Learning to see him. Learning to stop labeling what’s so called big enough for prayer. Learning that faith is not about your performance, but about presence – His and ours. 

I also think God uses these small encounters to soften us. To remind us not to take ourselves so seriously. To show us that He can use absolutely anything to get our attention. He’s not just the God of miracles, but the God of moments. The God who listens when we pray, even when it’s as simple as “Please don’t let this be expensive.” And maybe, He also wanted to remind me that he has a sense of humor. That He can use silly moments to teach us something. 

I realized how often I separate my relationship from everyday life. But the truth is, God doesn’t draw the line between Sunday morning worship and Tuesday night car troubles, we do. And when we start to blur that line again, when we start seeing Him in all of it, something shifts. Faith starts to feel less like something we do and more like something we live. 

So now, when I catch myself rolling my eyes at something small, I’ll remember this. God was there in the man’s gas tank, just like He was in my oil change. And He was whispering the same truth to both of us: I am in everything. 

So my encouragement to you is don’t hesitate to pray about the little things. Don’t think your need is too small or your request too silly. God delights in being a part of your every moment. He wants to remind you that He sees you, He provides, and yes, he even laughs with you sometimes. Don’t be surprised if God speaks to you through the ordinary and don’t be too quick to decide what’s “worthy” of His attention. He’s not measuring the size of your troubles, He’s after the size of your trust. He’s sitting there in the passenger seat, patient and kind, waiting for us to notice that He is always along for the ride. 

• Savanah, The Salty Company