"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way." Psalm 37:23
Last week I had the pleasure of running with a dear friend who drove 20 minutes to meet me at my town park. Rather than taking the most direct way home and the way he had come though, he felt led to take a different route that day. This alternate road was normally avoided by many drivers because not only did it take longer, it was much less traveled, filled with long stretches of narrow, curvy twists, turns and empty fields and is a literal black hole for cell phone reception. If he wondered what he was doing there, he didn't wonder long as he soon spotted a young lady that had run out of gas. Seizing the opportunity to help, he cheerfully took her gas can, filled it up and brought it back to her. When she offered to pay him for the kindness, my friend humbly shrugged it off and explained that he was only doing what he was told to do.
Is that a way to share the love of Christ with someone or what? And regardless of what many people might say, that meeting was not by chance, luck, fate or accident. It was a "divine appointment" orchestrated by God himself. You see, Psalm 37:23 tells us that, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.." As any good soldier does, my friend listened for his orders, heard them and obeyed. Unlike an army drill sergeant though, our Commander doesn't shout our orders but rather urges us through promptings of the Holy Spirit. It's that feeling to go right when you really want to go left, that urge to stop and talk when you just want to go on your way or that voice prompting you to approach a complete stranger to offer your help.... that's how we get our orders.
As Pam Russell writes, and this young lady witnessed, "Divine appointments don't always look like what we think they look like. Be aware. Be open." In other words, listen closely for your next order.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us all so dearly that you would set up meetings where we could help, strengthen and encourage one another. May we be always be ready, anticipating and listening for our next order that we might show your love to a world in need. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org
Matthew West - World Changers
No comments:
Post a Comment