Have you ever had an appointment that you knew was straight from God?
Most of you already know that I recently attended the She Speaks writers conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries. it was a time of prayer, worship, teaching, encouragement, and networking. I want to share a truth that I was reminded of while I was there:
Jesus can orchestrate divine appointments anywhere and any time.
My first “God appointment” occurred at the Charlotte airport. On the day I flew in, several flights were delayed and luggage was slow coming off the plane due to a storm in the area. While I was waiting for my luggage (for two hours!), I met another lady who was also attending the conference. I had rented a car so, since she had already missed her ride to the hotel, she rode with me.
On the way to the hotel, we began telling our stories to each other. As I spoke about our adoption, she grabbed my arm and stopped me. “You have a Jonah?” she gasped with tears filling her eyes. She told me that she and her husband have two little girls, but they felt the Lord tell them they would one day have a son.
They had determined to name him Jonah.
However, a couple years ago, after suffering from some health problems, doctors told her she would probably not be able to conceive another baby. Her heart was broken. She and her husband are still clinging to the promise that God had given them, but it has often been a discouraging journey. I was able to encourage her to keep praying and keep believing because God is faithful. Always.
God took two women from different states, whose planes had landed at differing times but were delayed for random reasons, and put them together in the same car so that one woman could be encouraged to continue believing for her miracle.
Only God.
My second “God appointment” occurred at the conference Saturday after lunch. As I was leaving the ballroom, a woman stopped me. “Are you the one with the son who has autism?” she asked. I had been in a dinner with several ladies on Thursday night where we had all stood to tell a bit about ourselves. This woman has an adult daughter with autism and she was able to encourage me in my journey with Jonah. She offered helpful advice about school and being a diplomat for Jonah throughout his academic career – something I needed to hear as Jonah was getting ready to begin kindergarten the following week. Definitely another divine appointment.
Only God.
Sometimes, if we aren’t careful, we will tend to think of these “appointments” as coincidences. But I know meeting these two women wasn’t a coincidence.
It wasn’t just happenstance to put two strangers in a car where one has a son named Jonah and the other has a dream of a son named Jonah.
It wasn’t just an accident that, out of 800 women, two ladies with children who have autism were sitting at neighboring tables.
No, these situations weren’t coincidence. These meetings were set up by our compassionate, miraculous God. Aren’t you thankful to serve a God who cares so much about the details of your life that He will orchestrate meetings of encouragement for His children?
Friends, this week I encourage you to look for opportunities around you where the Lord is working. Tell me about a God appointment that you’ve experienced. How can you open up your schedule in order to allow Him to use you in a divine way today?
So cool, Adrianne. I sat at a table with you at She Speaks, and I just knew your blog was familiar. And that’s because it comes to my inbox 🙂 What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing. Stay encouraged!!
That is amazing! Thank you for the encouragement!