3:00 Northgate
That pops up in my thoughts. I wonder where it came from. Usually these random thoughts, I don't heed. But this time, I had to know, what happened if I listened?
The next day, I drove down the interstate. I park my car at about 3:05 on a street near the bustling Northgate mall. Now what Lord?
I get out and begin walking. I ask God to reveal who I'm supposed to meet today. I look around at the people nearby. Not that one. Not that one. I keep walking with faith, that God would reveal who I was to show His love to this day. There's a reason I'm here. A guys walks beside me, talking to himself. He has a hitch in his step and looks clearly drunk, high, crazy, or possibly all three! He is dirty and looks like he hasn't had a bath in months.
This one.
Lord, but this one's crazy!
He walks behind me as I cross the street and I pray.
Lord, if he follows me, then I will know he is the one.
He follows me. Then I switch directions and wait by a light post. I test the Lord yet again.
Lord, if he turns this way, then I will greet him at this light post.
He looks like he is about to enter the mall but then all of a sudden he changes directions and walks directly toward me. Yep, this is the one alright. I introduce myself and invite him to lunch. He calls himself "John Paul." He eats with lightning speed. I try to ask him about his life but he responds with short answers. I ask him if he has kids and he doesn't know. He says he may have had some before.
"Before what?," I had asked.
"I mean...when I was younger...," he stammered.
I fed him, I served him, but I felt like I failed to connect with him. I don't get much time with him before he downs his lunch. I ask if I can pray for him with anything and he says to pray that he gets more money. Then he got up to leave.
"Thank you," he said. I could tell he meant it.
I responded with "Yep."
Yep?! It's amazing God desires to work through me, or any of us, at all. After he left, I knew the correct response would have been: "don't thank me, thank the Lord, he's the only reason I'm here." That was the absolute truth. I would have never gone to that place, at that time, and had lunch with that individual if it wasn't for the Lord!
He left to go back to his addictive life, living from drink to drink and hit to hit.
Lord, why him?
I knew two things. One was that I found the right guy. The other is I would have no idea why God sent me to him that moment until I got to heaven.
Through that experience, the Lord taught me about being truly open to His leading. In my daily life, I am too often closed in my own plans to what He would have me do each moment. How many opportunities am I missing along the way?
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