illumine me

I love sharing these types of encounters.

I hope I can do this one justice so you can see it unfold.

This past spring I was up north spending a week with my youngest, and while traveling over weekends I will typically find a Sabbath keeping church to visit. I looked up on google and saw quite a few churches to attend, but none of them appealed to me.

I also saw there may have been a camp meeting taking place an hour away. This meant most of the local churches would be closed for a special service with guest speakers and such at one location.

So I filed that away and on Friday evening as I was talking to my husband on the phone about not going to church telling him we planned to rest in our room and watch a church service online.

I go to bed and was awakened the next morning at about 6am with a song “open my eyes illumine me”

This kind of thing wakes me up curiously..as I believe the Holy Spirit uses this way to get my attention so of course I got up and sat with my bible and afterwards felt compelled to go to a church only 5 mins away.

Upon pulling into an empty parking lot only one car was parked there and wondered if they are closed for the camp meeting or maybe I was just early.

The parked car ended up leaving. As I waited I began searching online again.

Then there was second car that pulled up parked after a few minutes it left.

Another car pulled up and then left. This is when I knew that it was likely closed so I picked another church 13 mins away.

As I pull up the map to leave- another car pulls in, but this time I observe the driver as she sits in parked in front of the entrance of the church building just looking at it.

I am so intent to watch her, I begin to feel like I was supposed to go say hello and invite her to follow me to the other church.

So I do that. I pulled up next to her and what greeted me was a very sad looking women who appears disappointed.

I smiled and wished her a Happy Sabbath because it’s the Lords day regardless of our circumstances.

She looks at me curiously and says hello without a smile.

I asked her if she was a member there, she replied simply “no I’ve never been here” I said the same and that I was headed over to another church up the road and invited her to follow me.

She thought a moment and said something about not wanting to go to a certain church that played heavy metal or something and I said me either – but answered me with “ok I’ll follow you..” almost like someone who didn’t have anything to lose.

So we drive across town and pull into the parking lot of another denominations church.

Apparently this Sabbath keeping church was renting from the Sunday keeping one until they had their church built. Which isn’t unusual it happens often.

Out in the parking lot she looked confused and said “If I had not followed you here I would have kept driving.” I explained what I though was the case and said “let’s go in and check it out..”

I learned her name is Leah.

We walked in to a comfortable looking foyer with couches, another woman walks into the room and welcomes us and we tell her how we came to be there, she invites us to breakfast till the Sabbath school class begins.

We both declined and told her we would visit on the couches till class begin.

As we sat down Leah looks at me tears in her eyes and says “I believe we were supposed to meet.” I looked at her and said “me to let’s pray.”

I remember praying that the Lord would comfort and help her with whatever she was going through but especially help her to see that HE cares greatly for her needs.

I was a stranger passing by who showed her where to go for fellowship and it ended up being a group who also were once broken that came together to build a church centered around the community that needs fellowship in Christ, they had a welcoming spirit to all who walked in.

This little gathering had a great fellowship of study, songs of praise and a message of hope. Offered both Breakfast and a BBQ lunch with some outdoor activities after church.

At the end I looked at Leah who shared how defeated and just lost everything in her life forced out of her family and needed hope.

She lead precisely where she needed to be that day.

I told her “I believe the Lord has lead you here” she said ..”we’ll see” and at that moment a group of leaders came over and sat with us as I watched them welcome her, I got up to leave.

She said thank you and I left.

This was not by accident, it was a divine appointment.

All He needed was a willing heart to help a neighbor.

When I left that place I was so thankful for the experience.

There are few who understand the influence of the little things in life which develops our characters.

Nothing we do is really small and the varied circumstances that we meet day by day are designed to test our faithfulness and to qualify us for greater trusts.

You may call this a weird coincidence but I beleive it was on purpose by the Lord who cares for ALL.

Friends lean not on your own understanding but turn to the God who cares for you and wants to show you all the great things He has in store for you.

In Christ love, amen