A Divine Appointment

I had occasion to sit and talk with a recent acquaintance of ours for a few minutes the other day. The main purpose of our meeting was for me to ask some questions that fell within her area of expertise. Beforehand, I prayed that the Lord would make me a blessing to her. I knew she was facing a very rough time in her personal life.

The Lord showed me to put her needs first. She’d been very ill. She’d had several people take advantage of her financially. She’d been betrayed by some who she thought were her friends, and she was struggling with decisions about her future. She loves her grandchildren but they live far away. In short, she was feeling that her life, which had had many ups and downs, was again hitting bottom.

Though I was eager to get my questions answered, the Lord showed me to put her needs first. I took her hand and asked her how she was doing. She opened her heart and talked about all the things she’d been going through and we prayed together.

We had a sweet time enjoying each other’s company and she was happy to answer my questions too. Afterwards, when I prayed about it, the Lord told me that three things that I had done had helped her feel loved both by me and Him.

Number one, I had shown a genuine interest in her and her needs and plans. Because she knew the purpose of our meeting was for her to answer my questions, it had touched her heart that instead, I had sensed her need and cared enough to focus on that first, and had listened intently to her as she talked.

Number two, I had sympathized with her difficulties and expressed my concern for how rough it must be for her. Sometimes it’s best to just hear a person out, but in this case I felt led to articulate back to her the things that she must be going through. I had tried to put myself in her place and understand the emotions she was feeling: her anger at the people who were wronging her, her loneliness, her desire to know what steps she should take next.

Number three, I prayed for her. Often I have told people as we parted, “I’ll be sure to pray for you.” But the Lord laid on my heart that I need to do more than tell others I’ll pray for them; I need to pray right then in their presence if they’re willing. So I took her hand and I said, “Do you mind if I pray for you?” I asked Jesus to help her to find happiness and have the friends that she needed, the soul mate that she yearned for, the best place to live and work, and that the Lord would show her His plan for her life. When I was done, she had tears in her eyes. She told me that it meant a lot to her that I would pray for her.

With people who may not be Christians, I generally prefer to address Jesus directly in my prayer as a part of my witness, as if I address my prayer to God or the Father, they may not make the connection to Jesus, who is the Savior. In this case I had heard her refer to the “higher power” and the “universe” helping her, so I wanted to make sure she knew I was directing my prayer to Jesus, so there would be no misunderstanding in regard to who I believe in and who the help comes from. I felt it was important in this case as part of my witness to her.

Prayer is powerful, and many people are touched when you pray for them. It’s not just because you are giving them the gift of a sincere prayer or because they like the words you’re saying. Many times they will feel the presence of God’s Spirit touching them in an almost tangible way and they will recognize that you have a connection with the God of the universe.

You have the ability to determine if the time you spend with others will be what God has purposed it to be: His divine appointment. It’s an opportunity to bring them into a closer connection with the one who loves them and cares for them.

A few days later I heard that things had changed for the better for this woman and that her financial situation had had a sudden turnaround. We prayed that she would connect our prayers for her with these good results.

Many are waiting to experience His answer to your prayers for them today. Will you be the connection between His love and power, and those in need?