Last week we looked at divine appointments. I could have used many more illustrations given in the Bible than the ones I chose, but I hope those given inspired you that each person last week was unique in their own way, yet each benefited greatly from a divine appointment with God.
One of my favourite encounters in the Bible was a woman who never would have imagined when she woke up that day that her life by the end of the day would have been changed forever. This woman’s name is never given. What we do know she met Jesus and it was to change her life forever.
That woman had lived for years I believe on emptiness, unfulfillment and was disliked by a part of the community in which she lived, to the extent that she would be found going to the well on her own.
The Bible tells us in John chapter 4 that Jesus needed to go through Samaria on His way to another destination. I believe those words needed to go were for the benefit of this lady, yes this one lady you would probably not want to associate with. (Read John 4 for more on this lady) That woman did not really know what she was looking for except that life was not turning out the way she had ever hoped it would. All she did know she was thirsty for something in life that she could not find.
Jesus knows when we are running on empty when we need those Kyros moments. So before I leave these divine appointments we need to understand that God moves at just the right time, so please don’t give up. This lady at the well was I believe at breaking point, desperate for a life-changing moment and God showed up.
What do you do when faith doesn’t make sense? When God doesn’t seem to be answering or opening doors or being found? When you are running on empty like the woman at the well.
I would like to leave you with a true story of how a lady Ruby Hamilton discovered that her husband had such a Kyros (divine appointment) moment in answer to Ruby’s prayer. I hope you take encouragement from this simple story today.
Ruby Hamilton, an executive in her fifties, was stunned at the loss of her husband of 32 years in a car accident. Her anger and disappointment went deeper than a more typical expression of grief though. She had become a follower of Christ in her late twenties, but her husband didn’t share her newfound interest in spiritual things. Nonetheless, she had set about praying for him feverishly and unceasingly that he would come to know the Lord. And one day when she was praying, she felt a wave of peace wash over her, and that still small voice assuring her that her husband would be okay. She eagerly awaited the day when her husband surrendered his life to Jesus. And now this.
Roger Simmons was hitchhiking his way home. He would never forget the date – May 7. His heavy suitcase was making him tired and he was eager to take off that army uniform forever. Flashing the thumb to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek new Cadillac. To his surprise, the car stopped.
The passenger door swung open. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?” “Sure am.” “Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.” “Not quite that far – do you live in Chicago?”
“I have a business there, the driver said. My name is Hamilton.” They chatted for a while, and then Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to share his faith with this fiftyish, apparently successful businessman. But he kept putting it off, till he realised that he was now just 30 minutes from his home. It was now or never.
“Mr. Hamilton, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” Then he simply told Mr. Hamilton about the plan of salvation and ultimately asked him if he would like to receive Jesus as his saviour and Lord. The Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger expected that he was about to get thrown out of the car. Instead, the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Five years went by. Roger married, had a couple of kids and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a trip to Chicago he found a small white business card that had been given to him by Hamilton five years previously. In Chicago, he looked up Hamilton enterprises. The receptionist told him that it was impossible to see Mr. Hamilton, but he could see Mrs. Hamilton. A little confused, he was ushered into a beautiful office where he found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties.
She extended her hand “You knew my husband?” Roger told her about how Hamilton had picked him up while he was hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me what day that was?” “Sure it was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.” “Anything special about that day,” she asked.
He hesitated, not knowing if he should mention how he shared the message of Jesus with her husband. “Mrs. Hamilton, I explained the gospel to your husband that day. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.”
Explosive sobs shook her body. Finally getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.”
“Where is your husband, Ruby?” “He’s dead. He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see, I thought God had not kept his promise. I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought God had not kept his word!”
Stay safe be blessed and remember defining moments are not just for the few.
He knows, He cares, He answers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!