The Right Place, The Right Time – God’s Intentionality
The following blog was contributed by Martha Stanley, Aglow Administrative Assistant – International Field:
I had a sobering experience that I’d like to share with you. It demonstrated how God will orchestrate detail upon detail to have us in the exact place at the exact time to fulfill His plan. It was also an example of how he can avert disaster in our lives without us ever knowing there was a danger in the first place.
This past December I was decorating the entry way to our subdivision with neighbors. At one point we determined that we needed one more set of a specific kind of Christmas lights, so I was tasked with the reconnaissance mission. It was about 1:00, and I was getting hungry, so decided to go home and grab a quick bite to take with me in the car on the road. I put a Hot Pocket in the microwave, was going to take it out 20 seconds early, but felt impressed that I was to leave it in for the full 3 minutes. 20 seconds, Lord? Really? Having learned long ago not to argue with those impressions no matter how strange they may sound, I waited the full 3 minutes then took off with my lunch down the road. Bear with me, these details are very important.
Driving to the exit of the subdivision the thought came to my mind to go left to Walgreens instead of right to Wal-Mart because Walgreens was closer. I went to Walgreens, no success, and had to backtrack and go in the opposite direction all the way to Wal-Mart. When I finally got to the Wal-Mart parking lot, my cell phone rang and it was my neighbor saying that they didn’t need the lights after all. As long as I was already there, I decided to go in and pick up some medication my husband had waiting at the pharmacy.
This put me in line at the Wal-Mart pharmacy at that exact moment in time. There was a frail, elderly woman next to me bent all the way over looking at something on the bottom shelf. Suddenly, a big burly dude came around the corner with his shopping cart at Mach 2. His cart was speeding straight for grandma’s head. I reached out, grabbed the cart, and stopped him before the impending impact. If I hadn’t grabbed the cart he would have hit her square in the head knocking her backwards. Who knows what the extent of her injuries would have been? He gave a muffled apology, backed up, and went down another isle. Grandma, still bent over, was completely unaware of the entire interaction. She found what she needed on that bottom shelf, then went on her merry way. Since I was next in line when this happened, had I arrived 20 seconds earlier I would have already been up at the counter looking back at a horrible scene.
How many times in our lives has a plan of the enemy been thwarted by the God who sets the stars in motion….while we never knew……
You are right, these things happen often without our knowledge. I often rejoice when God does allow us to know or see the reason why. 7 years ago my husband and I were candidating in another state. It was the weirdest candidating trip we’ve ever done, and we weren’t sure afterward why we were even there, excep for this: we had been given $ to cover our dinner and directed to a restaurant near the hotel. We ate leisurely and finally decided to head back across the street to the hotel, down the block a short ways. Crossing the divided highway, we met up with a man, woman, boy, and girl. We all waited, then when the light changed, started across. The man and boy were ahead, followed by the girl and her mother, then us. The man and boy were almost to the other side when out of nowhere, a car sped out of the side street turning right in front of us – directly in the path of the speeding car was the girl and her mom. Time slowed; I was not near enough to grab the woman or girl, and as I yanked backward on my husband’s hand and called his name, I realized that I was the only one who saw this car, and was about to witness one of the most horrific things you can ever watch – people being run down by a car, a little girl who would almost certainly lose her life – and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. Time resumed its normal pace; the car careened around the corner, and the woman, who looked up when I called my husband’s name – and had I not stopped us, we would’ve been hit too – grabbed her daughter up in the air and twisted away from the car. The driver slammed on his brakes barely in time,managing to stop as he just tapped the woman’s leg. We stood there, dumbfounded. The woman and her daughter walked to the other side; the man, just realizing what almost happened, yelled to the driver “Watch where you’re going!” The driver, a young man, realizing that we were all looking at him, yelled back: “”Like I saw her!” and drove off. 3 of us got his license number; we crossed with them to the first place of business and talked to the police, calmed the family down a bit, gave them our hotel and room number, and parted company – talking about how God spared us all! We look back now and wonder if maybe we weren’t sent there just for that little girl.
What an amazing story, Elizabeth! Truly, when we present our lives as that “living sacrifice” as Paul says in Romans 12, our lives become an ongoing intercession or prayer. Prayer is who we are — not just what we do!
I agree with the life of an intercesor as an ongoing prayer, Nancy. God is amazing!! amazing stories of victory, Martha and Elizabeth!! All glory and honor be unto God !! So good to obey those nudgings and impressions by The Holy Spirit. One can be a God’s Angel to strangers any time even family members. All for the Glory of God!!
Thankyou you have ecouraged me to keep on saying the simple prayer of use me Lord to bring Glory to your name with whatever you have for me to do today! Love and prayers for Aglow members every where
I was led to just ‘browse’ in the blogs today 🙂 What a wonderful way to connect. Indeed Nancy, prayer is who we are. As one intercessor shared with me recently she used the term in our prayer life rather than prayer time because she said intercessors live prayer. We oftern look to the public figures, influencial business people, the pastor, those with a public platform and see the impact that they have on societ,, thinking I don’t make a difference like that. But, when we are in tune to the sound of heaven, when we listen for the voice of God and are obedient we have life changing impact. These stories certainly testify to that.
Some years ago I asked God to give me at list one and half hours each day to intercede for the lost nations of the world and to give me the nations for each day. later added to the list was my Neighborhood, the list is on going and the hours have increased but still i feel this is not enough.To day you have blessed and encouraged me Nancy with your sharing on Roman 12, this has been ongoing as part of my daily life but little did i know that i could be presenting my life as a “living sacrifice” as Poul says.
I wrote this today under that prayer blog but I thought I’d copy it here too because it relates to the subject of Childlike Faith which has never been a problem for me although I never thought I would see it as headline…
The Holy Spirit spoke to me this morning as any other BFF would, but this time He said, “It’s time! Go back to your root.” I said, “What?” He said, “You know. What has kept you believing in me all these years? What has kept you alive? It certainly wasn’t being a good Christian and walking with me.” I said, “Ya, I know.” He said, “and it hasn’t been your friends, fellowship, nor your family.” So Lisa, “do you know what the root is?” I said, “Lord, of course I do, it is the first time you publicly called me in front of a crowd at The Women Aglow Meeting in Huntington Beach, CA 1981.” He said, “So, what are you waiting for, look them up. IT’S TIME!”
So, here I am friends, if I may call you that. I need your help and prayers. I’ve been barely treading water through life for the last 33 years., pretty much alone in my pursuit of the Lord and His will for my life. I haven’t even got a church I call home. But I must say, the one thing I do have is CHILDLIKE FAITH! That has always come easy to me. Probably because I never fully grew up and at 4 months shy of 50, I’m still very immature and vulnerable due to circumstances beyond my control. Those having to do with extreme sexual abuse and other abuses to numerous to mention.
In 1980 I was 16 years old. I had the single most influential event happen in my life happen. It was 4Th of July and I had a drug overdose. It would only prove to be one of many drug overdoses but this one was special. I was scared, alone and felt like I might be dying. I was with my 23 year old boyfriend, who by no means would have taken me to a hospital, because the fear he might get in trouble with an under age girl. My parents knew I was with man 7 years my senior and they allowed it. (To this day, I don’t know why. They tell me, they didn’t know how to control me.) My parents were on vacation the week of my overdose. I had no one to turn to. I had no church, no christain upbringing and didn’t know anything about the Bible. But for some strange reason, when i felt my life slipping away I screamed, “Help me Jesus! Help me!” and so He came. I was on the floor of the shower when I saw His white sleeve. I was so happy to see Him, I thought at least He heard me. He picked me up and walked me in front of this fish aquarium in the bedroom. It was the home of my boyfriend’s pet snake, I had given him for Christmas. The snake ate goldfish. But on that special day, I witnessed an extra large Goldfish jump into the Snakes mouth and It choked the Snake to death right in front of me. It was like watching a movie. I intuitively knew that was a sign from God and it meant DO NOT FEAR, JESUS WILL WIN IN THE END. I made it to the hospital that day, where I had an out-of-body experience and watched the emergency room doctor examine me. Then I left the room through the wall and out to the nurses station to see what they were saying about me. Later, up in intensive care, I asked Jesus to send my grandmother, who had past away when I was 12; He did. That night she comforted me at my bedside and the next day, when I looked out the window, there was my grandmothers grave. Don’t ask me why or what that means, that is just what happen. The Holy Spirit has always instructed me not to ponder questions there are no answer too. He says, it will be revealed in His time. So I except it at that.
Back to the reason I am writing. I was chosen out of the crowd at my first Women Aglow meeting when I was 17. I was given a prophecy and I think it’s time for it to be fulfill. I need your prayers and support or Word from the Lord, anything you could offer. Satan’s bondage and lies over the years have held me inside my own self-built prison walls, that haveI so painstakingly erected, I need your prayers and encouragement to break these chains that bind me in the name of Jesus once and for all so that my life’s sorrows and struggles could be used as Tools of Hope. To bring the lost, wounded and victimized out of death into life. So these beautiful wounded individuals could find true unconditional Love through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Please help me and be a partner with me to allow the prophecy to come to pass.
My prophecy was given to me by a lady who sang in the Spirit. I couldn’t believe it when she was pointing at me. She said, “You in the White Izod Shirt and Blue Jean Skirt come up to the front I have a word from God for you.” As she strummed her guitar and sang like an angel, tears welled up in her eyes. She said, “Young Lady, in your short life, you have gone through more experiences and pain than most people do in a whole life time but I must tell you, you are going to go through so must more, but because of these trails, You Will Recieve BOLDNESS! & You will have a great witness!”
I know the time is near. Please pray I will find the church the Lord wants me to fellowship with and send me the souls willing to listen to the truth and most of all let us all keep our hearts as pure as the hearts of His Beautiful Little Children; ready and willing to sever in any way we can. Keep that Childlike Faith!
Sincerely, Lisa
PS. After writing to you a song I used to listen to as a teenager and newly Born Again Christian came to mind. It’s by Don Francisco “I’ll never let go of your hand”
For those of you that don’t know the song, part of the lyrics say:
(I know what you’ve been hearing, I’ve seen you hid your fear, embarrassed by your weaknesses afraid to let Me near. I wish you knew how much I long for you to understand, no matter what may happen child, I’ll never let go of your hand. I know you’ve been forsaken by all you’ve known before, when you failed their expectations they frowned and closed the door, but even though your heart itself may lose the will to stand, I’ll never let go of your hand. Even if you do it wrong and miss the the joy I’ve planned, no matter what may happen child I’ll never let go of your hand. The life that I have given you no one can take away, I sealed it with my spirit, blood and word. The everlasting father has made his covenant with you. He’s stronger than the world you’ve seen and heard, so don’t you fear to show them all the love I have for you, I’ll be with you everywhere In everything you do and even if you do it wrong and miss the joy I have planned I’ll never let go of your hand.)
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Isn’t it always a joy and encouragement to look back and know the Lord has us in His right time at His right place, to be used to intervene in satan’s desructive tactics over people.
May we be sensitive to hear and obey that still small voice who directs us. Thank you for the inspiring stories. The Lord Jesus is very practical. May His will be done.
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