“Maam, do you have some money? My car broke down and I’m out of gas, could you help me?” asked a young, anxious-looking girl named Natasha.
We’d headed downtown for the morning, but our plans had gotten changed and so we were now in the market area walking around. I was by myself at the moment, and Natasha wanted to show me her car to prove that she had no gas. I felt torn- I didn’t want to leave the group and go off walking with her to see her car, but I also didn’t want to just hand her money and that be all. There was something more- there was a desperation in her face. It’s more than some money that she’s really searching for.
Just then, Tom looked over and saw what was going on, so he came to join us. “This is a God-thing,” he said with a wink and a smile as we walked with her to her car, and began talking. When we reached her car, we asked if we could pray for her.
As I began praying, I felt the burden of lots of pain and hurts in her life. As I asked the Lord to take these, tears started slowly rolling down Natasha’s face. The Lord clearly spoke to Tom that drugs were involved, so he prayed for freedom from that. I felt like the Lord was asking me to reach my hand in my pocket and give her whatever bill I pulled out. I just had to smile because all my life, one of my excuses for not giving was “they’ll probably use it for drugs and alcohol.” Now, knowing there was a drug problem involved, the Lord was asking us to give even more and saying, “I’m asking you to trust me and give. It’s not up to you how the money is spent, it’s up to you to be obedient.”
Tears still coming after we had prayed, she said, “It’s just so hard. There’s so much going on in my life.” We shared with her how much God the Father loves her and how precious she is to Him. We shared that we hadn’t planned on being there for the day, but it was no mistake that we had been and we wouldn’t be surprised if God had rerouted us just to meet her- that’s how much He loves her and wanted her to know that. Before she had to leave, we gave her big hugs and held on to her for what seemed like a few minutes, neither wanting to let go.
In just 15 minutes, God had orchestrated this awesome encounter with Natasha in which I really believe she had an encounter with Him and experienced His unconditional and deep love for her and felt His embrace. I pray and truly believe that her life will not be the same- that God, in His great love for her, stepped down and intercepted Natasha’s life to put her on a different path- away from the path of destruction and death she was on and now on a path toward life, wholeness and freedom.
We didn’t go downtown trying to look for ministry or make something happen, we were just open to what God was doing so that He could bring what He was doing to us and we were ready to jump in.
We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.
God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.
However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.
~ O.Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest”
