Exodus 15:1-15
The LORD is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me. I praise and honor the LORD -- he is my God and the God of my ancestors. The LORD is his name, and he is a warrior! He threw the chariots and army of Egypt's king into the Red Sea, and he drowned the best of the king's officers. They sank to the bottom just like stones. With the tremendous force of your right arm, our LORD, you crushed your enemies.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We never know where or when we will get an opportunity to share with someone just how powerful God is. Recently I walked in to a local office to drop off some papers, and as soon as I opened the door, I was blasted by the smell of cigarettes. I’m not talking the faint smell of smoke, as if someone snuffed a cigarette in the parking lot as they entered the building. I’m talking the smell of a dozen or more people sitting in a crowded room, all lit up and puffing away.
The cigarette smell belonged to one man who was standing at the counter, and he appeared to be in his late forties. He was talking to the receptionist about his paper work. He was animated and friendly, and when he turned and saw me standing off to the side awaiting my turn, he graciously stepped aside and gestured for me to “come on over.” I walked up to the window. Then he moved in toward me and began to chat. What did I think about the snow we’re having? Who was the man in the photo hanging on the wall? (Governor Beebe – it was a state office.) The receptionist was busy copying the man’s papers, so we had a few minutes to stand in line together.
The man then began to talk about how much we needed the snow, because the drought last summer really hurt the trees in his yard. Then he asked me, “You don’t know anyone who would like to buy a beautiful home, do you? Because I think I’m selling mine and leaving this place. There just aren’t many opportunities for a guy my age to meet someone here.” And he winked and nudged my arm. I smiled, not knowing quite what to say… and he continued, “I tried going to church, but that didn’t work, so I’m not going back.”
Very clearly, I felt my opportunity present itself… “Why would you not go back to church?” I asked. He replied, “I don’t figure God would like it too much if I came to church to find a woman.” I asked him, “How do you know? What if you thought you were only going to church to meet someone, but God was leading you to church so He could do other things for you?” He stopped and looked at me with a puzzled look, and asked, “So you’re saying I’m selling God short?” “Maybe,” I told him. “You might be underestimating the power of God… and you are surely underestimating how much He cares about you.”
The man seemed a bit caught off guard by my comments. He smiled and said, “So in other words, I should give God another chance?” “Probably,” I said with a smile… “there are a lot of wonderful churches around here… you should check them out and give God another try.” I did not invite him to my church… I planted a seed, and I thought I’d let God handle the rest. This was not a “sales pitch” for my own church.
The receptionist came back to the window and finished her business with this man. He thanked me and said, “You’ve given me a new way to look at all of this.” He smiled and walked away.
I thought about the brief encounter, and I know that the outcome was totally God’s doing. Because of the strong cigarette smell, I was maintaining a wide berth. When the man stepped aside and gestured for me to approach the window, I could have waved him off and stayed where I was, but I stepped up, signed in, and stood beside him. And when he started to talk to me and get chummy, I could have given him one-word answers, nods of the head, and generally let him know I was not interested in what he had to say. I kept reminding myself, “He’s God’s child, too… he’s God’s child, too. Get past this.”
I felt God was saying, “Okay, I’m giving you an opportunity to speak for me… what are you going to do with it?” I believe we get many of these opportunities… often several times a day. And most of the time, we either fail to recognize them… or we fail to accept them.
Later in the day, another incident reminded me of an encounter I had years ago with my cousin, J.D. Mired in all sorts of personal struggles, J.D. attended my dad’s funeral, and he tells me that I approached him at the cemetery and said, “I’m praying for you.” I have absolutely no recollection of this. I do know I was praying for J.D. – and today he is a totally new person. The road to recovery was a long, difficult one, but he now travels several states conducting worship services and tent revivals. His focus every day is living for Jesus Christ and bringing others to a relationship with Him. And in recent months, J.D. actually did meet a Christian woman at a revival service – and they were married a month ago!
I’m not saying that the man I met in the local office will find his soul mate in church - or become a minister. But what I am saying is that we do sell God short. We underestimate His love for us… and His power to make the impossible happen. I told the man yesterday that the Bible tells us, “With God, all things are possible.” I hope he understood what I was saying to him in so many words… that we are each and every one precious and incredibly important to God. He knows us… He knows our needs, our desires, our hopes and dreams – and our talents and abilities. He understands what we can accomplish – for ourselves and for His kingdom. He can free us of addictions, debt, emotional baggage, sinful attitudes and behaviors, and more. And the kicker is… He wants to do this for us!
My prayer today is that we would all start to recognize the little opportunities God provides us each day to share His message with others. I also pray that we would look past appearances, smoky jackets and overly-talkative personalities and see the person inside that God sees… and recognize that he/she has incredible value to God – just like we do!
I have to admit, I have griped and grumbled (at least to myself) every time I have had to set foot in this local office for something. But now I see that God gave me an opportunity in the very spot I didn’t want to be... and I could easily have missed it. Are you recognizing how important you are to God… and the chances He offers you to serve Him? Are you paying attention to God these days? Shouldn’t you?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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