DIVINE ENCOUNTERS

God is so amazing with how He works events out in our lives. This week I experienced some divine encounters while at my newest holy place that I shared in my thoughts last week.

God continues to bless me through nature.  One day last week at my holy place, I heard a single bird singing.  When I looked up I saw it was a cardinal.

 

 

What was a “God moment” was right before then I was praying for a family we know who lost their 18-year-old son a few weeks ago.  Suddenly the thought of one of my grandmothers came to my mind.  I knew she died in June and as I looked up the date, I discovered the anniversary date of her death was the very next day, 31 years ago!  To add to that divine encounter of seeing that cardinal, the next day I shared the story with one of my aunts (one of my grandmother’s daughters.)  She said the same day I saw the cardinal and thought of my grandmother, she had a cardinal on her deck!

 

This friend caught me off guard since my eyes were originally closed.  A friend mentioned, “God’s creature at prayer!”  I did not “see” that at first, but indeed, that is just perfect!  Don’t you agree his hands are even folded?  Let all creation praise Him!

 

 

Divine encounters amaze me even more when they involve humans!  Reflecting on God’s perfect timing of providing these divine encounters in our lives fascinates me and makes me in such awe of Him!

One day last week close to dinner time, I was going to finally take time to workout, but kind of ran out of steam.  It had been storming but then cleared up, so I decided it was more important to take some “soul” time instead. Truth be told, I was disappointed about something that did not work out like I hoped it would.  I figured it was the perfect time to take time to talk with the Lord.

The holy place did not end up being quiet this day like usually because the nearby school was holding a drive-thru 5th-grade graduation ceremony.  I ended up sitting on the porch of the house that has a few chairs on it, but couldn’t see the cross area view.  I did my usual quiet time with God.  When I went to my car to drop off my Bible before taking a quick walk around the neighborhood, a car drove into a parking spot near me.

A woman rolled down the window and asked me if the church was open.  I said no, that services would start Sunday.  She rolled up her window, stayed there, and seemed to be praying.  When I was done in my car, I stood next to my car for a few minutes and felt that I should ask her if I could pray with her.  She seemed distressed and I figured wanting to go into church, maybe she needed some prayer.  I waited for her to open her eyes and look up.

When I asked her, right away she said, “Sure!”  I began praying for her, not knowing what specifically she needed.  Much to my amazement when I was done praying, she ended up praying for me!  I even got chills as she was praying for me.  Praying out loud with a stranger is so NOT me, but I am thankful that I was obedient to the Spirit and for the Spirit’s guidance.

 

 

 

We then proceeded to talk more, learning about each other’s stories.  She works nearby and said that God told her to stop by the church; a church she had never stopped at before.  At first she was reluctant, but God won out; she was obedient to that voice!

Two strangers ended up talking about the Lord, life, and faith for at least 30 minutes because of a divine encounter orchestrated by God and obedience to the Spirit.  We both believe it was a divine encounter for the other person.

I took my quick walk and even got in my car.  I noticed she was still there, and I thought maybe I should take her to the prayer garden since I had told her about it. She was happy to check it out with me.

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God provided another divine encounter with a fellow parishioner a few days later.  With God’s perfect orchestration, I was going to my holy ground place later than usual because of a storm earlier in the day.  As I pulled in the parking lot, I noticed a car there and saw a friend just leaving the church.  Of all the people in the parish, we both were in the same place for that one, exact moment!

The extra “God moment” was that he was hoping to be able to share a few God stories with me in person, rather than trying to email each other.  Quite in God-like fashion, the story was about the theme of obedience!  God provided the opportunity for that divine encounter; a divine encounter to bless and encourage each other’s faith.

 

Photo courtesy of Amydeanne under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

May these thoughts encourage you this week to see what divine encounters God puts in your path, and be obedient to the voice you hear leading you.  God is so gracious and kind, offering us ways to praise Him and see His goodness all around us.

Would you be willing to help me finish this post by sharing a divine encounter or obedience story you experienced in your life?  Feel free to add in the comment section below.  Many thanks!

 

All creatures on earth, you obey his commands, so come praise the LORD!  –Psalm 148:7  (CEV)

I promise that when any two of you on earth agree about something you are praying for, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  –Matthew 18:19  (CEV)

In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words.  –Romans 8:26  (CEV)