I will instruct you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with My loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8 New International Version (NIV)

 

Trust and Obey

 

A message whispered in her ear, “Get off the freeway at the next exit.” It didn’t make sense but my friend complied. Just after leaving the heavy flow of traffic, her tire blew out.

            This story was told by another friend. A sense of doom filled my thoughts all morning. It seemed as if someone was about to die, so I prayed for that person. Later that day, when the man who answered the ad for a dog house showed up, I immediately knew something was wrong. First, he portrayed himself on the phone as older and some-what feeble. The man at the door was far from what I had been expecting. Second, he was early and the people who were to be here with me hadn’t arrived. My senses were heightened. Were the earlier feelings of doom, the discrepancy in the way the man had portrayed himself and the fact that he had arrived early related? Filled with fear for my own safety, I wouldn’t let the man in and he left immediately.

            This is a story from my younger life. It was a Friday afternoon and most of the staff was gone. Sitting in my office, I let my thoughts drift. No matter how hard I tried, nothing was working out on this church job. Encouragement and help were much needed.

            During this time, I was studying one of the Epistles, when God put on my heart to memorize the first chapter of the book. Why would I want to do that? Meeting someone or even a windfall of money would have helped, but memorizing a scripture?

            Several weeks later while attending a dinner at the church someone asked me to read the scripture. Sitting on the front row before me were my boss and his friend, a well-respected minister from another church. Disappointment filled my mind upon seeing the appointed text. Oh why, I thought didn’t I obey God and memorize that chapter. For you see, the scripture for that night was the same one God had asked me to commit to memory.

            Though both of these men had preached to large crowds for years, I suspected they would have been tethered to the podium if they had been asked to read the appointed scripture, but would have been somewhat awed with one who could move away from the bible and deliver the text from memory and with feeling. 

            I realized too late how God had wanted to show forth some of my strengths. My star was ready to shine and the much-needed encouragement available—if only I had been prepared.