Wendy Blight
"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27 (NIV)
Every Memorial Day weekend my friend Karen and I travel with our families to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, for five days of rest and relaxation. We just cannot wait to dig our toes in the sand, take long walks on the beach, and enjoy the island's incredible sunsets. Every trip is special, but this most recent trip stood above all others.
Karen and I ran to the local grocery. Feeding nine people for five days resulted in two carts overflowing with food and supplies. We approached the checkout lines looking for the shortest line. We chose a line with an older woman without a cart. Apparently waiting on someone else, she motioned for us to go ahead of her. Moments later, a young woman scurried up pushing a crying child in a half-full cart. It was clear the older woman was frustrated that they now had to wait behind us, so we offered to give her back her place in line.
As the young woman and her child passed by me, my heart began to pound. I physically began to tremble. I felt God impressing upon my heart that Karen and I were to buy her groceries. I hesitated, but past experience caused me to obey. I tapped the young woman on the shoulder and spoke these exact words, "I know it sounds strange, but God told me that we are to buy your groceries."
She graciously accepted with tears in her eyes, and then she and the older woman left. A few minutes later, the older woman returned to share an incredible story. The young woman was her daughter. Her name was Micah.
Micah's husband had walked out on her and her young son a few months before. He had abused her for years before leaving. She could barely make ends meet and felt completely abandoned by everyone, especially God.
Days before this God-ordained meeting in the grocery story, Micah and her mother had prayed. Her mother prayed that God would draw Micah back into relationship with Him. Micah prayed, "God, if you are real, if you love me, show Yourself to me!" As her mother shared these words, it was a powerful moment. Micah, in the midst of her deepest sorrow and pain cried out to God for His Presence. Karen and I simply walked in the store that day to complete an ordinary task. And God crossed our paths at one point in time to show each of us He is active, involved, and OH SO REAL!
Yes, it was a great day for Micah. But what a day it was for Karen and me as well! Our obedience to the Lord's prompting touched this woman's life in such a powerful way that she KNEW He was real and had not abandoned her, and that He answers prayer. A divine appointment ... a day I will treasure forever.
Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord, the Great I Am. Thank You that You have planned every day of our lives before we have lived a single day. Thank You that You speak into our lives today. Thank You that You invite us to join You in Your work. Father, give us opportunities to be Your hands and feet. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the broken and hurting people all around us. Give us a heart of obedience. Give us boldness to speak. May all glory and honor and praise go to You. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Related Resources:
Please pray about becoming part of a child’s life through Compassion International
Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story by Wendy Blight
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself by Mary Lance Sisk
Visit Wendy’s blog, Living Truth
Application Steps:
Over the next few days, pray for the Lord to bring opportunities in your life to minister to others. Pray that He will open your eyes to see and your ears to hear.
If you have a story to tell, please share it on Wendy's blog, Living Truth.
Reflections:
Read Luke 10:25-37: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Focus especially on Luke 10:27. How does this lesson relate to our devotion?
Power Verse:
Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes another will himself be refreshed." (NIV)
© 2009 by Wendy Blight. All rights reserved.
"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;' and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27 (NIV)
Every Memorial Day weekend my friend Karen and I travel with our families to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, for five days of rest and relaxation. We just cannot wait to dig our toes in the sand, take long walks on the beach, and enjoy the island's incredible sunsets. Every trip is special, but this most recent trip stood above all others.
Karen and I ran to the local grocery. Feeding nine people for five days resulted in two carts overflowing with food and supplies. We approached the checkout lines looking for the shortest line. We chose a line with an older woman without a cart. Apparently waiting on someone else, she motioned for us to go ahead of her. Moments later, a young woman scurried up pushing a crying child in a half-full cart. It was clear the older woman was frustrated that they now had to wait behind us, so we offered to give her back her place in line.
As the young woman and her child passed by me, my heart began to pound. I physically began to tremble. I felt God impressing upon my heart that Karen and I were to buy her groceries. I hesitated, but past experience caused me to obey. I tapped the young woman on the shoulder and spoke these exact words, "I know it sounds strange, but God told me that we are to buy your groceries."
She graciously accepted with tears in her eyes, and then she and the older woman left. A few minutes later, the older woman returned to share an incredible story. The young woman was her daughter. Her name was Micah.
Micah's husband had walked out on her and her young son a few months before. He had abused her for years before leaving. She could barely make ends meet and felt completely abandoned by everyone, especially God.
Days before this God-ordained meeting in the grocery story, Micah and her mother had prayed. Her mother prayed that God would draw Micah back into relationship with Him. Micah prayed, "God, if you are real, if you love me, show Yourself to me!" As her mother shared these words, it was a powerful moment. Micah, in the midst of her deepest sorrow and pain cried out to God for His Presence. Karen and I simply walked in the store that day to complete an ordinary task. And God crossed our paths at one point in time to show each of us He is active, involved, and OH SO REAL!
Yes, it was a great day for Micah. But what a day it was for Karen and me as well! Our obedience to the Lord's prompting touched this woman's life in such a powerful way that she KNEW He was real and had not abandoned her, and that He answers prayer. A divine appointment ... a day I will treasure forever.
Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord, the Great I Am. Thank You that You have planned every day of our lives before we have lived a single day. Thank You that You speak into our lives today. Thank You that You invite us to join You in Your work. Father, give us opportunities to be Your hands and feet. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see the broken and hurting people all around us. Give us a heart of obedience. Give us boldness to speak. May all glory and honor and praise go to You. In Jesus' Name Amen.
Related Resources:
Please pray about becoming part of a child’s life through Compassion International
Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner: The Transforming Power of God’s Story by Wendy Blight
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself by Mary Lance Sisk
Visit Wendy’s blog, Living Truth
Application Steps:
Over the next few days, pray for the Lord to bring opportunities in your life to minister to others. Pray that He will open your eyes to see and your ears to hear.
If you have a story to tell, please share it on Wendy's blog, Living Truth.
Reflections:
Read Luke 10:25-37: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Focus especially on Luke 10:27. How does this lesson relate to our devotion?
Power Verse:
Proverbs 11:25, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes another will himself be refreshed." (NIV)
© 2009 by Wendy Blight. All rights reserved.
Labels: Finances, Overcoming, Prayer, Serving, Trusting God, Waiting On God, Walking in Faith
16 Comments:
Wendy, I LOVE this testimony of God's faithfulness. He is "The God Who Sees" indeed. He sees Micah. He will continue to show her His faithfulness and presence.
God is in the grocery store! And He works through willing vessels like you and your dear friend.
Thank you for sharing this and for encouraging us to obey His voice, even if it feels "awkward". :)
"He sends His command to earth; His word runs swiftly. He sends His word and melts them, He stirs up His breezes, and the waters flow." Psalm 147:15,18
His waters are flowing to Micah!
Thanks for sharing your testimony. It's encouraging, and a little disheartening at the same time. Just this week I heard the Lord prompting me to do something, and I was too afraid to respond, even though I ask Him over and over to use me. Please pray for me that I not only hear God's voice, but do what He says to bless others' lives...
God is so cool!!! I love when He does stuff like that, sitting here crying as I read...absolutely LOVE IT!
WONDERFUL message!!it encouraged me today !!
What a wonderful testimony that is to read, and to know how GOD is working in our lives every day. May you always be richly blessed!
wow! what a very powerful story. it had me in tears. god does work in mysterious ways...
last week i was having just a really bad day and a friend of mine who follows your blog, told me i need to follow along too. so i have. i say, i'm a newly christian. i was raised christian but have been a way from the church for a L-O-N-G time. since the death of my grandfather, i felt the need to come back. so i have been going to church since may and have joined a woman's bible study at my church. i now understand the peace my grandfather felt just reading the bible, as i'm discovering that myself. praise the lord!
Thank you for sharing your testimony. In my small group, we are reading Next Level Living by Rich Rogers, and are talking about the importance of listening to voice of God, and not allowing distractions from allowing us to be used by Him. This is something that can impact others so much, but sometimes we miss those messages due to the fact that we are wrapped up in ourselves and what we need to do and accomplish. Thank you so much for sharing such a powerful word!
I can remember a day not long ago that I too felt the Holy Spirit move me to do something. Like you the feeling was so strong I could not ignore it. Coming home from Wal-Mart one day I spotted a black lab in the road, I feared for the dogs saftey & made a block to see if I could spot who he belonged to. When I came back around the block I no longer saw the dog, so I was going to continue on my way when the spirit of the Lord said turn around & go back. I said Lord I didn't see the dog but okay. I returned to find a car pulled over on side of the road a young woman holding the dog by the collar. I stopped & asked if I could help her. She said yes that she was pregnant & didn't know how she was going to lift the dog in her car. I lifted the dog in her car & she was on her way. I said God I hope that was all you wanted me to do & that I was not suppose to witness to her, but I felt a peace come over me & felt all was good. I didn't see the results of what I did, but I know God wanted me to do it. I want to always obey God when he speaks to me.
I am so blessed by this devotion today. I was rushing to work today frustrated that my son's bus was taking too long to come. I had just pulled thru the security gate at work and was passing by a high school as I saw a prayer circle formed around a flag pole in front of the school. Just at that moment I was thankful for the bus stalling and I knew that God had it in his plans for me to see that prayer meeting being held. I couldn't wait to tell somebody, anybody that God is real and he does exist in our school's despite how/what people feel. My soul was blessed today by this post and that prayer. Thank God!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this devo! Thank you for sharing. I love to read about God-orchestrated situations like this. What an amazing testimony of God at work in our lives. This story will bless many as Karen shares with everyone around her.
AWESOME!
Blessings,
LeAnn
Thank you so much for sharing your stories and encouragement. I have been worried about some things with work and balancing my family time, which has nothing to do with your blog for today. But after reading it, I felt encouraged and ready to go face the challenges I encounter at work. I just feel so much better.
My sister is going through a similar time ~ she needs to hear from the Lord, in a powerful way.
Her car just got totaled and it was in her ex's name... he said he's not going to do the right thing to reimburse her - and because of his latest girlfriend's jealousy issues, is going to fight her for custody of their 3 children. (He has never been interested in them before, and is an extremely verbally abusive man.)
My sister now has no car, no job, + attorney fees... To top it off, her ex has been showing up at the kids' school unannounced, trying to get them to come home with him - and late at night, past their bedtime.
He said that if my sister doesn't comply in letting him see them that late, then he'll tell the judge she's trying to prevent him from seeing their kids.
This man is very abusive, manipulative - and a DEACON at his church. Please pray for the truth to be revealed, for God's providence for her & her children, and for this man to be bound - and hopefully, removed from her life.
Also, if she doesn't pay the electric bill by Fri, it will get cut off. Please help her in prayer! Thank you!!!
What an exhilatating expression of our Father's love!!! Thank you for sharing this testimony and reminding us that God DOES answer our prayer, sometimes when and how we least expect. He never leaves us, even though we may leave Him out of our lives. What an awesome loving Heavenly Father we have. Thank you for your willingness to be submissive to His leading in your life and encouraging each of to follow Him. May God bless you and may He continue to reveal His love to Micah and help her in her struggles.
One more thing i just found out about my sister's situation: her umbrella was in her totaled car.
The rainy season just started, where she lives, and her 3 children are taking the bus with her, to get where they need to go. (ages 7,6 and 1.5)
She is worried that they will get sick, before she can get another umbrella. (She lives nowhere close to a store.)
...but she doesn't have $ for anything. Please pray for my sister...
I have experienced how the lady in the grocery store felt. I am a new mother and things are difficult, I was wondering where God was. I prayed and asked God to show up. The very next morning my hair stylist called and told me about this website. She offered support to me and I am so grateful for her. God can use anyone and I'm glad she took the time to listen.
To Anonymous with troubled sister:
Tell her she must rebuke the adversary and his co-horts away from her and the children using the ex-husband, weather, finances, etc. God loves her and wants her in The Blessing (every good thing) and not the curse (lack, poverty, oppresion & depression using an abusive spouse etc. I will definately pray for her. In the Name of Jesus Christ, lack you must go! In the Name of Jesus Christ, spirit of bondage you get out! In the Name of Jesus Christ, spirit of fear, you are not welcome here, I roll my care onto Him! You got the idea--go girls!
Sister in Colorado.
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