Stretched Again

A little while ago, I posted about how God was stretching me out of my comfort zone by having me talk with people that I normally wouldn't talk too. Well today He did it again. I went to get the oil changed in one of our cars. I left the house wearing a University of Evangel hoodie. I got to the shop and pulled my car in and then proceeded to the waiting area. There was another woman sitting in there already waiting for her car as well. After a couple of minutes went by, she asked me if I attended Evangel. I told her that I did not, but that our daughter did, she had just started going there in the fall. The woman then told me that a friend of hers had graduated from there and absolutely loved it. The atmosphere, the professors, everything. I told her that our daughter was feeling the same thing. She loves being down there. After we had talked about Evangel, she told me some stuff that is going on with her family. Her husband had been laid off and finally found a job. In Indiana. She only see's him on holiday's, for right now. She then told me that she is a school teacher, and that she commutes to work from Sycamore. She also has some health issues and she probably would not be able to finish the school year. She is trying to sell the house so she can go and be with her husband and then facing illness at the same time. This all took place in the span of about ten minutes. Then the time came for her to pay, so she got up and went to the counter. Right at that moment I heard it. The voice of the Holy Spirit saying "Pray for her." I heard it over and over until I finally got out of my chair and asked her if she would mind if I prayed for her. She said that would be great. So we walked outside and stood next to her car, and we prayed. Prayed for healing, selling of the house and reconnecting with her husband. After we finished praying, she told me that she had prayed that morning asking for God to send someone across her path today. I told her, here I am! Then I told her that she was an answer to my prayer that I pray everyday. I pray that God would use me in a mighty way, and that He would give me a divine encounter. So He stretched me again out of my comfort zone. I have never, ever prayed for a complete stranger, in a public place, just after meeting them. And on top of that, it was a woman. I have no problem with that, but I know that some people have a difficult time accepting man/woman praying together alone. The Lord knew that, so He made it so we would be outside, in complete view of everyone. When I came back in to pay for my oil change, another woman sitting there asked me if we were praying. I told her that we were, and she thanked me for being there. I told her it was Gods timing, not mine. It was all Him.

Reminiscing about God's Protection.

After attending my first Stryper concert last Friday night, and listening to their music this past week, I began to think back on an event that happened almost 30 years ago. In 1986 or '87 my friend and I were involved in a horrific car accident. We were at a stop sign waiting to turn left onto Route 30 in Big Rock. I was driving. I looked both ways before proceeding out into the intersection. The large construction truck that I thought was far enough away, wasn't. I pulled out and he hit us broadside, on the drivers side. He tore the whole front end of the car off. If I would have been a little earlier in taking off, he would have hit me directly on my door, and I probably wouldn't be here writing this post. I looked over at my friend and he had a little blood coming from his forehead. I was freaking out. I looked at him to see if there was anything else wrong, when I saw the review mirror laying in his lap. He had head butted the mirror and broke it off, that is how come he was bleeding. He seemed to be okay everywhere else. We both were able to get out of the car, much to the drivers surprise. He thought that he had killed us. I can imagine why. He was driving a construction semi and we were in a little Chevy Chevette. An ambulance was called to check us out. We were fine, but the people who had witnessed the accident actually had to sit in the ambulance. How ironic, right!! All I remember doing is thanking God, whom I didn't really know at the time, for keeping us from being killed. I 100% attribute this to two things. 1. God wasn't finished with me or my friend just yet. He still had great things planned for us, (Jeremiah 29:11). 2. I also attribute our protection that night to us listening to Stryper's 'To Hell With The Devil' cassette. That's right, I said cassette. Remember it was in '86 or '87. So this iconic band and this cassette, cd, album, whatever you want to call it, has a very special place in my heart. There are many times that I can look back and see God's protection before I was a believer, but this one of the most serious ones. God is so GOOD!!