A timely intervention to recover a lost item

It was a busy of planning and shopping at Sandton City Mall. I was tired and ready to head home but I had one or two more things I needed to do before. But first, I needed the bathroom so I headed to the nearest ladies. As I prepared to leave the stall I was in, I suddenly felt uneasy and unsafe. I couldn’t explain it. Nothing had happened. Nothing had changed. 

I prayed about it before I left the bathroom stall and then headed out. To my relief, there was a security guard right outside washing her hands by the sink. I was so happy to see her and felt relief wash over me as I washed my hands next to her then I left the bathroom. As I continued running my errands, it didn’t take long to realise I no longer had my cell phone.

To my horror, realised I’d left it in the bathroom stall! Now, panic washed over me as I remembered exactly how this had happened. I’d been holding it when I entered the stall. I didn’t wanna put it away because I was eager to finish my errands, which required my phone, and then head home. So, I put it on the toilet paper holder instead, making a mental note to remember it.

Automatically, I started praying as I hightailed it back to the bathroom as quickly as I could without losing my dignity. When I arrived, the stall was occupied. I waited impatiently for the lady inside to come out. Finally, she did; I rushed in and, to my dismay, the phone wasn’t there. I caught up with her at the bathroom sinks. 

“Did you see a phone in the stall you were in by any chance?” I asked. She had not. I was crestfallen. I lingered for a moment hoping someone else had but it quickly became apparent that I was wasting time. Dejected, I left the bathroom and as I walked out, I saw the security person from earlier – the same one I’d been so relieved to see! For the second time that day, I was so relieved and happy to see her face. Perhaps she knew or saw something.

Sure enough, she had. It turns out someone had gone in after me, seen the cell phone, and handed it to her. She later told me that several people warned her that it was not a good idea to hang on to the phone saying such good Samaritan acts didn’t end well usually. I’m glad she didn’t listen to them. Instead, she handed the phone over to her supervisor for safekeeping.

She showed me where to go to collect my phone. Her supervisor wasn’t at the office when I arrived and I began to pray again. After a while that seemed like an eternity, the supervisor arrived with the phone and gave it back to me. I was so overjoyed I told anyone who would listen at that office what had happened. “Wow, you are so lucky. That never happens, especially at this mall,” one lady remarked. 

I knew I wasn’t lucky. It could only have been the Spirit of God working to turn around the situation for my good. I told her as much. Thank God, I said, and she agreed. I walked off feeling very blessed, feeling seen, and feeling loved. God foresaw the situation and warned me about it in the stall.

I remembered the uneasy feeling I’d had before leaving the stall earlier. It didn’t cause me to remember to take my phone but it did cause me to notice and remember the security guard, and she remembered me too. I must have greeted her very warmly though I can’t say for sure. I just remember that she immediately recognised me when she saw me again.

God continued to work in the situation and not only made sure I got my phone back, but I’m certain that He glorified His name amongst everyone involved in the incident, everyone who heard about it then, and I hope everyone who hears about it now as well. How amazing and great is our God! How awesome and merciful are His acts!

Love,

What’s a Relationship with the Spirit of God Like?

“Every morning when I awake, I greet the Holy Spirit and invite Him to go with me through the day and take the lead in all my affairs, and He does. I say, Good morning Holy Spirit. Let’s work together today and I will be Your vessel.’ Every evening before retiring I say again, ‘It’s been a wonderful day working with You, Holy Spirit.” This is an excerpt from the book ‘The Holy Spirit, My Senior Partner’ by David Yonggi Cho which I’m currently reading. It has been an eye-opening and fascinating read and I’m barely a third of the way through.

It’s one of my mother’s many books – she’s an avid reader. She gave it to me when I mentioned I needed something to read on a long bus journey. I’m so glad I’m reading it. I have an awareness of the Holy Spirit and His work. In fact, I have experienced being filled by the Holy Spirit resulting in speaking in tongues, feeling a deep and inexplicable sense of joy and peace, feeling like I’m bathed in warmth and light, experiencing a lightness of being and sensing I’m held in a loving embrace by Almighty God. More than that, I have sensed the Spirit of God speak to me, placing thoughts and knowledge within me.

However, I think I am gaining a deeper understanding of the divine person that is the Holy Spirit. For one, I don’t think I was comfortable with or fully realised the fact that the Spirit of God is an incorporeal entity in the same way Jesus is. I remember using personal pronouns like ‘He, Him’ to refer to the Holy Spirit at church many years ago and being swiftly corrected. The people I’d been speaking to became very uncomfortable with this. I never looked further into it but at some point, I started being uncomfortable with using those pronouns too as if they were not Biblical. 

Fast forward to today, reading this book, I am reminded that they are, in fact, Biblical – see John 15:26, John 16: 7-8, and John 16:13. The Holy Spirit has emotions, the Holy Spirit speaks, the Holy Spirit has virtues and indeed, the Holy Spirit has a personality. I was convicted that I had taken these things for granted. I had heard them before but they hadn’t really sunk in deep and taken root. So, I emulated what David Yonggi Cho had done and asked the Holy Spirit to come and take leadership in my life and circumstances. I said that I wanted to partner with Him and be His vessel. It was late at night and I said that I was looking forward to what he would do the next day.

Sure enough, the Spirit of God unexpectedly partnered with me very early the next morning. I was asleep when I felt someone sit down next to me. I woke up with a start, removed the mask covering my face and saw a young lady sitting next to me. I was not impressed. The bus was not full! Why on Earth would she choose a seat where someone was already sitting?! I was sitting at the front of the bus so I turned back to double check. As sure as day, there were plenty of unoccupied seats behind us. I tried hard to hide my annoyance and compose myself.

“I shouldn’t have removed my handbag from the seat next to me,” I thought to myself, “then perhaps she wouldn’t have sat here.” Then I immediately felt bad about my attitude. I thought, “Flo, you’re not entitled to this bus seat. Perhaps there’s something about your demeanour that’s inviting and she felt comfortable sitting next to you.”  Then I noticed her taking pics and videos since were at the window of a double-decker bus. “See, perhaps she wants to document the journey. It could even be her first time travelling to Cape Town.” I began to soften towards her then I decided to pray. 

I’d barely started praying when I felt God say, “Thank me.” I thanked Him for all the things I could think of until I grudgingly thanked Him for the young lady sitting next to me. “Pray for her,” He said. “For her or with her?” I asked. He responded, “For her” I was relieved. I didn’t particularly feel like starting that conversation with her. I started praying and I felt God put it on my heart to pray for peace, for joy, for a sense of identity and a release from what was holding her down or holding her back. My heart softened towards her some more. Then I heard God say, “Ask her what her name is.”

I protested slightly. “Lord, we’re about 100 km from Cape Town. What if she decides to chat with me all the way? It would be a long 100km for me. It’s early in the morning. I am not a morning person and I’m an introvert. Striking up conversations with strangers can be hard for me.” Even as I protested, I knew I was just making excuses. I mustered up the courage and asked her what her name was. She told me. “I’ve done it, Lord,” I said, “now what?” Just then she asked if we’d passed the tunnel. I said we hadn’t and she responded that I was so loud.

Her words had me smarting. “Did you hear what she said, Lord? Unbelievable.” God remained silent but my annoyance started dissipating. “Ask her what she does,” He eventually said. It took me a few minutes but then I asked. She told me she’s studying dentistry. We exchanged a few more pleasantries and then fell into a comfortable silence. As we drew closer to our destination, she started packing up her stuff. I heard God prompt me to pray with her. This time I didn’t hesitate or give excuses. I started looking for an opening and when she made a comment about her jacket, I got the opportunity I was looking for.

I asked her if I could pray with her. To my surprise, she was very receptive. I beckoned her to sit as she was already standing then explained that when she sat next to me, God had prompted me to pray for joy and peace for her. During our conversation earlier before we settled into a comfortable silence, she’d mentioned that she’s not a positive person and when I asked why she said circumstances make her feel that way. Thus, I had the confirmation that the prayer for joy and peace was indeed from God and it was apt. I proceeded to pray for her and the words just tumbled out of me easily.

At several points during the prayer, she squeezed my hand in agreement and at some point, I opened my eyes and looked at her bowed head and saw her nodding. I became emotional but continued praying until I felt I was done. When I said Amen, she lifted her head and I saw that she too was emotional. She thanked me and joked that I was making her emotional. I told her I was emotional too and this time, I earnestly thanked her for sitting next to me. I hugged her again and told her God loved her. She told me that my prayer had been spot on and addressed what she needed. I knew then that the Holy Spirit had just beautifully partnered with me.

But wait. There’s more. Not too long ago, I found myself in a similar situation. I was on a bus with a man who was travelling with a woman who could only have been his mum. Their resemblance was striking. Her legs were swollen and she moved slowly with much difficulty. I was certain she was in pain. Throughout the trip, I watched how he patiently and lovingly helped her along. I felt prompted to pray for her and so I did. When we arrived, he helped me offload my bag without being asked. I was impressed and grateful. As I watched them load their bags into their lift, I felt God prompt me to go over and pray with them.

Sadly, I chickened out. I felt awkward and didn’t know what I would say, or how I would even start the conversation. “Look, they are loading their bags and ready to leave. Surely, I can’t hold them back. Why now when they are ready to go?” I had said to God at the time and watched them leave. I thought of that son and his mother often and wished I had just gone over like God had prompted me to. Who knows how they and I would have been blessed? I told myself that that incident would serve as a lesson and a reminder. God clearly wanted to do something and I missed it. I would not miss another opportunity again.

God, in His grace and mercy, presented me with another opportunity. He prepared me for it and He ministered to me through it despite myself. I mean, He had me thank Him beforehand and was patient when I tried to excuse myself! He honoured my prayer and chose to have me partner with Him in ministering to a lady who needed it and, in so doing, healed my heart that held regret over a missed opportunity. I look forward to more and more opportunities to learn more about who the Holy Spirit is as a person and to partnering with Him in my day-to-day life.

Do you have stories or thoughts to share about your relationship with the Holy Spirit? I’d love to hear them. Please share in the comment below.

Love,

God delights in showing us considerate regard

"I will answer them before they even call to me.
    While they are still talking about their needs,
    I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"
Isaiah 65:24 NLT

“Sometimes, your faith can be like an unuttered prayer,” mummy said. She then shared the Bible verse above, Isaiah 65 verse 24. We’d been discussing an incident that had just happened. There was a conference at her church and she’d hosted a number of church goers in her home, about 10 or so by my count. Now, in the city I grew up in and where mummy still lives, access to water can be a challenge. It is a semi-arid area that is prone to droughts and fluctuating rainfall.

Growing up, we always had to contend with water rationing. Over the years, the situation has gotten progressively worse especially with the deterioration of infrastructure in the country. It has reached a point where each household has to have an alternative water supply or keep water reserves that can last for several days if not weeks or risk going without. The church conference lasted for four days and mummy hosted the church goers for only two to three days.

Needless to say, it was enough to put a dent into the household water reserves because a day into the conference, running water was cut off right on schedule. During one of the teachings at the conference, a speaker shared that they’d experienced an issue with installation of utility meters. They’d been assigned meters that weren’t sufficient to meet their need. He prayed about the issue and he felt God reassure him that He’d already met the need.

He shared that at one point, he ‘spoke to’ these meters with authority because he had faith that he’d already received them. Sure enough, he received the meters that God had promised. And so, when I realised that our water reserves were running low, I remembered this story and contemplated that perhaps I should ‘speak to the water supply’ with authority and tell it to be re-established outside the usual schedule.

I am not certain why I didn’t do this. Perhaps it was because it occurred to me as I was finishing my morning bath and preparing for the day. The thought may have gotten drowned out by the plans and preparations for the day. Perhaps I felt a little silly at the thought. I cannot say for sure. I don’t think it’s important. What’s important is what happened next. Running water was restored a day after it was cut off!! This was completely out of the ordinary. 

It was very surprising and delightful. We now had more than enough water! As I discussed the incident with my mum, she shared that sometimes prayers do not need to be uttered out loud. God longs to bless us and meet our needs. He knows what we need long before we do. In His grace, He often chooses to meet our needs even before we explicitly ask Him to. At times, our faith in Him, in His ability to help, and more importantly, in His desire to help us is like an unspoken prayer.

Isn’t that just heart-warming. God is good. He is a loving Father who anticipates the needs of His children. He watches over us and moves to help us sometimes even before we know we need His help or think to ask for it. He is incredibly generous and kind. Showing considerate regard for us is in His nature and He delights in doing so. If you have not experienced God in this way, won’t you ask Him to show you? If you have, won’t you remember and reflect on all the goodness He has shown and share it with someone you know. They may be blessed by it.

Love,