My last article was about divine appointments, and like I said in that one, they seem to be increasing in volume and intensity with people from all walks of life searching for meaning and stability in life.
The young woman of about thirty was standing by the non-fiction shelves at the local library when I approached. She had an arm full of about twelve books. I couldn’t help but notice and said, “Are you really going to read all those books?” I didn’t know this was yet another divine appointment.
The young lady said, “Yes,…how many are you allowed to take out at one time?”
I replied “Ten I think…. What are the books about?”
“They are self-help books…I don’t read fiction.”
“I don’t either.”
Her reply piqued my interest. “What are they about? …. May I take a look at the titles on the back of the book bridge?” And I began reading the titles when she turned them toward me.
As I began reading she said, “This is embarrassing!” All the titles were on the order of “How to Find a Man,” “The Right Man for You,” “How to Catch and Keep a Man,” etc.
The young woman’s eyes began glazing over with tears. Although she was an ordinary-looking woman, she was healthy and clean. She was searching for a good man, and a good man is hard to find in our society these days. Many, if not most, are self-absorbed and/or stoned or both while others are becoming alcoholics. I felt sorry for her, said some encouraging words, and invited her to my church. I also said a prayer for her on my way home, with tears in my eyes.
The divine appointments continued as the week wore on, and one of them was a doozy. I was having a heart attack – or so I thought, while shopping. The showroom floor began spinning and I felt queasy. I went to the nearby hospital after stopping to eat, knowing that I would not be able to do so once I arrived at the hospital, and besides, it was lunch time and I was hungry.
I talked to God on the way to the hospital, asking what he had in mind since I thought He was going to continue to use me in the immediate future. “Death doesn’t frighten me, and I am willing to go when you call me home, but I have some things I’d like to wrap up before I go, like the publication of my book, and the unique movie that I’m hoping to make.”
I was kept overnight for observation. While there, my supper was brought to me by a Venezuelan girl in her late twenties. I noticed she was smiling when she arrived with the food. I assumed she was a Christian, and told her so. I was right. While her parents are Catholic, she enjoys attending both Catholic and Protestant services; but the Protestant services, she said, made her feel alive.
I had read on the internet about the problems in Venezuela and how some were having to eat from garbage cans since the economy had tanked, due to a revolution and resulting corrupt government. We talked (which most strangers don’t do these days) and she said she was here on a work visa to be able to send food and other essentials home to her parents and their neighbors. At this point her eyes began to tear up.
I asked if she had been praying about that situation, and she answered, “Yes.” She needed someone to assure her that God cared. I offered my help by getting the word out with my writing, and intend to do so. So, if any of you readers have any idea of how I can help her, please let me know. People’s lives are falling apart, and some of them are counting on God to deliver them.
Because I made myself available, it seems I was the answer to her prayer. Now I realized why I was here. So, this is what my perceived “heart attack” was all about – another divine appointment.
While overnight in the hospital for tests and observation, I encountered two nurses with overbearing problems and nowhere to turn. I had the opportunity to pray with one who told me yet another heart wrenching story. It seems like everyone has a sad tale to tell these days, but with no one to tell it to.
After a battery of tests, the doctors and nurses stood amazed and said I had the body of a much younger man, and was free to go.
If you are one of those who want meaning and stability in life, you only have to tell it to Christ Jesus, search the scriptures and rely on the promises of God, giving thanks always.
MOVIES:
I saw the true-life story about the conversion of Pastor Lee Strobel in “The Case for Christ” for the second time and enjoyed it all over again.
BOOKS:
“The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve” by Stephen Greenblatt, which I thought was going to be an insightful read, was nothing more than an exercise in futility, ending with things like this: “…It was like an infant trying to gobble down a steak, so it was no surprise at all that the consequence to them was fatal.”
[Theophilus of Antioch (fl. Second century)] This was about the apple in the Garden of Eden, which really wasn’t an apple at all! (You can find out what the forbidden fruit was in the book of Enoch, someone much more trustworthy.) The Holy Bible with the Holy Spirit’s guidance is sufficient.
YBIC
Jim Towers
Contact me at jt.filmmaker@yahoo.com or www.thepropheciesbook and on dropzonedelta.com
Tune in to www.FBCN.org livestreaming on the internet on Sundays at 9:30 EST. (USA) to listen to Bible-based sermons by Dr. Hayes Wicker.