Airline scramble

What a thrilling phone call.  A surprising one, to say the least.  This morning I woke up tired and groggy, and the idea of sorting through flight times and escalating prices with the travel agent wasn’t exactly appealing.  I pleaded, “Lord, lead me.  May You give peace.  Let me feel close to You in this.”  Curled up on the couch and staring out my favorite window, my eyes slipped toward the coffee table.  There sat my friend’s notes, and I remembered her talking about 2 Corinthians 5.  Verse 10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”  Suddenly several events from the last couple of weeks converged in my head, and a new idea pressed in:  Ask the travel agent if she knows Jesus.  According to that verse in Corinthians, I would be held accountable for following through.  But I needed to think about this.  I hadn’t envisioned my conversation with the travel agent including this question.  Temptation conjured a variety of reactions she might have, including anger, and a friend suggested to me later that an angry agent could have sabotaged my tickets.  But as it actually happened, around 11:00 that morning, the travel agent called to report ticket prices staying high and to ask what I wanted to do.  Reluctant to spend too much too soon, I replied, “May I pause a minute to pray?”  So with the agent listening over the phone, I asked the Lord to show me whether to purchase now or wait.  Then I opted to purchase at the higher price.  We discussed the fluctuation of prices we’d seen over our roughly 10 days together, and then as I sensed the Lord opening that conversational door I awaited, I asked her if she knew Jesus.  “Yes,” she responded, "I do."  We finished the billing process, and she said she’d email the tickets.  Yet when she called to confirm my receipt, her voice conveyed a curious inflection, saying, “Very interesting, Linda,” and I imagined her speaking complete with smirk and furled brow.  “When I sent your reservations for final ticketing,” she continued, “prices fell.  Your fares to Israel ended up the lowest we’ve seen.”  And as my heart danced in amazement, she added, “And you prayed!  You prayed about the tickets!”  She was clearly happy, in fact so happy that we talked about faith and the Lord for quite a while.  That combination of prayer over the phone and the question the Lord led me to ask her seemed a launching pad for pure joy.  All the while my heart kept turning cartwheels to realize how the Lord lowered the ticket prices.  And certainly nothing required Him to do that.  Just a bonus gift.  There was monetary benefit for my husband and me, but even more it seemed the Lord was encouraging obedience, as He simply loves to reward His children.  And as He bestows many layers of blessings all at once, I witnessed the travel agent being a recipient of encouragement as well.  I look back to recognize the Lord working weeks before, setting me in earshot of a particular restaurant conversation and 2 separate phone calls, which He orchestrated to keep fresh in my head until converging at that perfect moment with the travel agent.  It's thrilling each time I recount the story.  May I never underestimate, may we never underestimate, His omniscience and great power.

The girl at Enterprise

Last month our Honda dealership wanted to give us a rent car while they installed a new airbag.  Our first time to have a recall handled that way, Enterprise Rent-A-Car was the designated company, and when their shuttle driver arrived a bit chatty, our ride to the Enterprise office became intriguing.  In a short 10 minutes, the Lord tipped open an interesting door.  The driver asked about my day, and I asked about hers.  I mentioned my job, and she talked about studying German in college, which led me to comment about languages, saying it sure would be handy to know several languages when we go to Israel this fall.  When the subject of German surfaced a second time, the Lord opened the door to encourage, as it seemed my driver wasn't using German too much in her car rental work.  I offered, “I wonder how the Lord might use your German.  He can create all kinds of circumstances, and it's exciting to think of the ways He might work.  He may have a whole lineup of people for you to meet.”  It was so simple, really.  Unplanned, and just kind of rolling off the tongue. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”  Often the Lord puts me on the receiving end of such comments, and when my brain starts replaying the particular words someone said, I'm amazed all over again how He positions us just perfectly to hear these things.  When He uses one of us to encourage another, He blesses both the giver and the receiver.  In the same way, this day with the rent car held its own curiosity.  I love that we can ask the Lord to connect all our dots, so our past, present, and future are all useful for His purposes.  And so I wonder now for you, how is the Lord orchestrating on your behalf?  Will you step out to encourage someone?

To sing Wednesday

Allergies.  Ugh.  My husband and I were scheduled for music on a Wednesday night, and this itch in my throat wouldn’t quit.  Rehearsing at home led only to gagging and more gagging, causing us to lose all momentum of the songs.  How could a mere itch be so crippling to a voice?  Have you ever been so ready to pour into something, and then there’s a snag in the pour spout?  In my case, the itch kept snagging the voice.  So I asked the Lord to allow my throat a way to sing.  “Lord, may You give freedom for air to flow.  May You protect my voice.  May Your voice sing freely through mine.”  And so at 7:00 we began.  The first song . . . the second song . . . the third . . . and the fourth.  All the while there's a joy deepening inside me and utter amazement for how the Lord is preventing any inhibitions to my voice.  Yet afterward as I took a seat with the congregation, what happened?  I started coughing.  The itch returned and so did the gag, though just briefly, as if the Lord kindly reminded, “I'm here.  You asked Me to guard your voice during the songs, and I did.”  It was the timing, the precise moment after singing.  I hadn’t even fully sat in the chair before needing to exit the room, so the cough wouldn't interrupt everyone else.  That brief itch lent me to reflect on all the allergy troubles before prayer versus the peace the Lord offered after prayer.  And so I ask you, as a reader here today, “How do you need the Lord?  Do you ask Him for a voice to sing or for something different?”  He loves to hear the call of your heart.  I have prayed for you already.