Unexpected: Profound God-Encounter 80 Miles from Home
IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE DISCIPLE-MAKERS, MINOR DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING STORY HAVE BEEN EDITED.
One Thousand Yes
Many ask how we ended up serving in this country. I very consistently and truthfully reply, it is just a long series of many of little yeses. Saying yes to God. That has been what we have seen over the almost 10 years of being overseas doing this.
All the big stories and all the big headlines, the stories that we love to share, they are marked by a thousand little yeses before and after it. You never know which yes is going to lead to what. Our job and responsibility is following the Lord. We want to listen to the Lord and say yes. What happens on the other end is his responsibility. Just saying “yes” to him is what continues to propel us forward.
God Impressions
Recently I had a 90-mile trip to a different city to pick something up. Between these cities, there is nothing. Only golden and red sand dunes. Every now and then an occasional village or gas station. I am driving along, and I am 80 miles from home. I feel the impression, ‘Hey, I should stop and get fuel before I get to the next town.” Even though I did not really need it.
I pulled into the next gas station. Get my fuel and of course head inside for a drink. I am inside the convenience store. Just looking to see what I want to get.
Divine Encounter
I hear someone call my name and look up and there are these two men in local dress, local guys. It is this guy; we can call him Omar. I have known him for about four or five years. We are both 80 miles away from where we live at an obscure gas station on the side of the road in the middle of the desert. Here we are looking at each other face to face between bags of chips and a drink cooler.
The reason that I found that quite entertaining and funny is this is not the first time this has happened with Omar. It always happens about the same time of year. This is the fourth year in the row that God has had me run into this guy in a weird and obscure place.
Process & Journey
Four years ago, we went to an outdoor exhibition. Then we did not really talk for about a year. The next year we ran into each other again and he said, oh, let us go again. We went again. Last year I ran into him again in a weird place. Then I ran into him again at this outdoor shop.
I am standing in the middle of a gas station out in the middle of nowhere. He walks up to me and says, Hey, you know what next week is? That outdoor thing. Once again, I am going to meet him up there at the show.
I laughed and I asked the Lord, what are you doing? I keep running into this guy and I will go months without seeing him or talking with him. Then every so often there will be a flurry of messages, or we will always meet in person like this now.
God Has a Plan
Clearly the Lord has a plan. He continues to cross our paths, and I do not know what it is, but I am reminded that our job is to keep seeking the Lord and saying yes and being obedient to whatever he has. Sometimes we get funny little God winks that remind us, hey, I am in charge, and I am doing something, and you do not have to know what I am doing.
What continues to propel us forward is that he is working and moving to save people. Especially for us here in a land where people’s hearts are hard, and they have a thousand things that want to pull at them. Omar comes from a very prominent family. He does not want anything tangible from this world, but he is empty and bored.
I am excited to see what happens next. I will see him again soon.
I share this because in the middle of all the amazing stories, there are many other amazing things like this that happen. God is clearly working all things together to bring about the salvation of peoples from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Pray for Omar’s journey. Pray that Omar would discover Christ more and more with each encounter. Pray for more opportunities for simple, serious, and spiritual conversations. Pray for Omar’s entire household to discover Christ. Pray against distractions from the enemy.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Romans 8:26-30
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