“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27, KJV)
It was my husband’s birthday. Since I can’t plan to do things on my own, I was not able to go out and purchase a gift or make a cake. But, a friend brought by a birthday cake and a gift. We were surprised and blessed!
In our family, we celebrate our birthdays for a week. We call it “Birthday Week.” Each day there is a surprise! I wanted to celebrate in this way with my husband, but he was going to attend various meetings through the day and late evenings for two days after his birthday. So, there was no way to celebrate any further.
The next day as I lay in bed due to my back, I talked with the Lord. It came to my mind that my husband had been wanting a special milk frother. This item was not easy to find. I looked online for stores that might carry it, but each one did not have it.
At one store, the lady who answered my call asked me if she could look at other chain stores for me. I told her that her store was the closest to me. She said that there was another store about ten miles from hers. I could not get to any of the stores, because I cannot drive. So, why was I looking for this frother?! I hesitantly told her that it was okay for her to look into it. She found in her store files that the other store had only two left. She gave me the name of the area where the store was. But, I gave up. I could not get to the store anyway.
After a while, I called the store thinking that maybe it could be shipped to me. I asked about the frother. The lady who answered informed me that they could not take charges over the phone, but that they could reserve the item. Again I thought, “Why am I doing this? I can’t get it shipped, and I can’t get there.” Hesitantly, I agreed for the frother to be held for me.
As I lay in bed, I asked the Lord to help me get that frother. Then I thought of the friend who had brought the gift and cake. I talked with him and asked if he could take me to the store to pick up the item. He said that he couldn’t. So, I started praying, asking the Lord to change his heart. And, I simply didn’t think about it again.
Later that evening, our friend told me that he worked out his schedule and wanted to drive me to the store to get the gift for my husband. Now, I had to pray for strength to make it.
I was able to get in the car. As he drove, I prayed all the way to the store for God’s strength and help. When we arrived, the lady who helped me was very kind. She went the extra mile to help in every way. She even gift wrapped the frother. I was so pleased and excited!
As we were leaving the store, the lady said that she knew the gift would be appreciated, since I had mentioned to her that my husband had been wanting this for some time. I told her that the best part of buying the gift was meeting her, that she had served me with such care and kindness, and that I appreciated her very much. She came near me and said that most of the time you hear the negative and not the positive. I asked for her name. With a big smile, she told me what it was.
I said, “Oh my, your name has the name of Christ in it! Do you know how much He loves you?”
She drew close to me. I asked her to come aside, so I could talk with her privately. She did. I said to her, “Do you know that Jesus loves you? Do you want to know that He does?”
Bright-eyed, she responded, “Yes, I want to know!”
I asked her, “Do you want to make Him your God? You have to ask Him. Do you want to ask Him?”
She drew closer. “Yes, I want to ask Him.”
I explained, “You have to pray. Would you like to pray?”
Eagerly, she said, “Yes, I want to pray!” We started praying. Her eyes were fixed on me, as we prayed together. She confessed Jesus as the Son of God and that she believed He had died and rose again. She asked Him for forgiveness of her sins and gave her life to Him.
When we were finished, she excitedly said, “I was raised Catholic. You have given me what I had not done. You brought this into my life. I want thank you!” We both hugged, rejoicing!
Then we talked about the Bible. She took the instructions that I gave her on where to start reading the Bible so that she would learn and hear from the God who now lives in her.
“Abba, Father, the doors of several stores were closed. But You had one open. The one in which you had drawn a soul to Your Son. This is why, by Your Spirit, You kept prompting me to get that frother. Abba, Father, how you draw souls to Your Son! And, nothing can stop whom you choice to reap the soul that has been sown! Jesus, I want to thank You for hearing my prayer for our friend to take me to the store to get this gift for my husband. And, thank You for the help of Your Holy Spirit, who gave me the strength and help that I needed to get to the store. What a privilege it was to watch this woman excitedly want to know Your love for her and to learn that now, You live inside of her! What a birthday celebration, not only for my husband, but for the woman who gave her life to You, who now has had a new birth! Glory to Your Name, Jesus, Saviour of Souls!”