Did you Miss your Divine Appointment?

Only one woman sat in the doctor’s waiting room.  Even the receptionist disappeared into the back somewhere.  I sat opposite the woman and soon started talking to her.

We made small talk about the weather and the strangeness of an almost empty room.  She looked so sad that I asked her if she was okay.  A torrent of words poured out of her. 

In the past year, she lost two children.  One died in a car accident.  The other succumbed to cancer, after a long and grueling battle for life.  To top it all off, she gained a hundred pounds and it showed.

Here I was, confronted with an empty room, a grieving woman who needed help, and a nudge from God to ask her if I could pray with her.  “What would she think?” I wondered.  Someone might think I’m weirdo and laugh.  She could tell me to mind my own business or to get lost.  “But, she really needs to know how much God cares for her and can bring wholeness into her shattered life.”

During my hesitation, the nurse called her in. I lost the opportunity.  When I left after my appointment, the room was filled but she was not there. I still pray for that nameless mother and look for her everywhere. That hardly makes up for missing my divine appointment.

How do you know? 

If you believe in God and are growing in that faith, you just know when you see a divine appointment.  The circumstances are ideal and the need is great.  If you hesitate, it disappears.  Each one is unique and designed by God to grow your faith and compassion, to share the gospel message, and to help someone else.

Think about the opportunities presented to you in the past.  Did you act on them or let them pass by as I did?  Will you miss your next divine appointment?

Angels Unaware

Angels rarely look like the pictures of angels complete with wings and heavenly robes.  The bum on the street, the sick old woman next door, the crying young girl sitting on a bench outside of Wal-Mart could all be angels unaware perhaps waiting to see what you want to tell them, what you want to share with them.

“Let brotherly love continue.  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:1-2 KJV