Sightings of the Deity

I was so taken yesterday by how God cared for me. I was headed down to the seminary for the Tuesday staff meeting with just enough time to park, get in the building and get prepared for a presentation I was to make at the beginning of the meeting. Just before I left my house I could not find my key to the building so I left home without it wondering how I would get in.

I was so taken yesterday by how God cared for me. I was headed down to the seminary for the Tuesday staff meeting with just enough time to park, get in the building and get prepared for a presentation I was to make at the beginning of the meeting. Just before I left my house I could not find my key to the building so I left home without it wondering how I would get in.

In route I received a text message (at a red light of course) that there were glitches in the picture I emailed ahead for my power point. I called my husband hoping not to interrupt the meeting he was supposed to be in. He answered and said he would help deal with it since he had the picture on his hard drive. Pulling up to the parking lot gate, I punched in the code to open the gate allowing me to drive through, but the code I had been using for over a year did not work. The black wrought iron gate would not budge.

At that moment, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blue car exiting on my left. As the exit gate opened for this driver, his eye caught my eye and my car that was obviously blocked from entering. He stopped, got out of his car came over and asked if I was having trouble and explained the new code that was recently installed. We used it and the gate opened instantly. How timely. As I drove through the now opened gate, parked and got out of my car, I kept saying the code over and over in my mind alternately with words of gratitude for this man’s help. Often cars just exit without anyone noticing or making eye contact. But this time someone noticed and stopped. Eventually someone would have come, but this help came just when I needed it. Armed with the new code I entered the building without my key.

This may not seem like such a big thing, but I felt yesterday morning worn down by stresses- my husband has been out of the country on a ministry trip, the pressure of deadlines, extra meetings and the ongoing challenges of living in the fast lane when simultaneously my heart wants to get out of the traffic. These kindnesses offered by ones who are just as busy and potentially stressed as I overwhelmed me- my husband, the gatekeeper and my colleague on my team who fixed the power point just in time for the meeting.

Everyone is busy. Everyone has a schedule to keep. I’m not sure this qualifies as a companion story to the “good Samaritan” one in Luke 10, but it could given the impact it had on my soul.

I love the line in Dan Allender’s book To Be Told as he describes his passion for story that ignites the anticipation of seeing God’s hand. “Follow the track of a single person’s life may take me to the edge where I find God. A sighting of the Deity is worth the quest.”

I experienced the visible presence of God yesterday-the kindnesses of God showing up in real people paying attention.  Psalm 103:1-5 "Bless the Lord oh my soul, all that is within me, bless His holy name…forget not all His benefits…” God shows up all the time- fortunately yesterday I noticed.