That Is Not Odd - It Is God

"A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

Every now and again, the Lord will remind me that He is sovereign over all things. I answered a knock on the door of our RV yesterday. Two men wanted to speak with me. They had come to "scout out the land" to see where their disaster relief organization might have opportunity to serve here in Florida.  They represented an organization that was involved in rebuilding homes for people who could not rebuild because of lack of funds. Something that is at the heart of what we have been doing since 2005.

As we talked, - sizing each other up - spiritually - it became apparent to me that this meeting was God-ordained. All three of us had our roots in Hurricane Katrina. Bart was in Biloxi. Pete was in Bay Saint Louis, and we were in Waveland.  Bart had been in Haiti building a medical clinic on the plains west of Port au Prince up to 2005 when the political situation forced him to return to the States. The same town where I served with Thirst No More working on a medical clinic in 2011. Pete had been in Jeremie in 2012 and knew Dr. Katie Wolf who runs a clinic there. Katie had treated me for cellulitis in 2015 when we lived in Jeremie helping churches in Anse du Clerc. We all three had responded to Hurricane Harvey in Texas. We knew the same people involved in the Hurricane Ian response. They knew other people that we know. They built sheds in response to a disaster in Kentucky. I am supposed to have a video conference with a pastor in Port Charlotte next Tuesday. They asked, "Is it a Presbyterian church?" "Yes". Is that Pastor's name " Andrews"? Another "yes". They were meeting with the very same pastor the next day. 

We knew an optometrist in Alexander City, AL some years ago - well, many years ago now, who used the phrase, "That's not odd, it's God". Those are the words that were resonating in my heart as we spoke. The connections between us were impossible to orchestrate apart from God being in it. What I have mentioned are just the high points. I told myself that I should write them all down lest I forget, but I didn't. Later I wrote an email to Bart and shared reality or principle 4 from Experiencing God. God speaks by His Spirit through prayer, the Word, circumstances and other Christians. God was speaking loud and clear yesterday. Why else would those two men be standing outside our RV- men I had never met, yet had traveled the same roads of service. Oh, did I mention that Bart was also an aviator - Air Force - but yet another connection. Later he in an email he told me that his middle name is Charles and the area code on his phone is the same as ours - 228 - which is Mississippi.  

Since Bart was career military, I shared with him about our decision to leave the military when I did. I told him that had we not made that decision, I would not be talking to him in a tool trailer in a field next to a pond in Fort Myers, Florida. Leaving the military was perhaps the first spiritual marker on this journey that Martie and I have been on since 1992. 

There are some other revelations that came from that meeting, but I will share them another time. I guess my point is that we continue to be amazed by God as we follow after His leading - by now we should not be. But we are! We don't know how exactly God has ordered our steps, but we are looking forward to what is going to happen when we take the next step! It looks as though there is much path still to tread, Bondye se vle - God willing. How about you?

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone