For my 15th birthday, my parents bought me a guitar and
some lessons at the local community center. This started a love affair for me,
which lasted until this day.
The smooth surface, richly colored wood and shiny strings
melt my heart every time is see a guitar. I love the moving melody, which flows
from the guitar's inner chamber, and the fact that I can praise God and play
the guitar at the same time.
After Christ saved me and renewed my spirit, I continually
played the guitar and worshiped Him. In the wee hours of the morning, when
everyone else was asleep, I went down to the basement and sang at the top of my
lungs until the floor joists rattled.
When I discovered classical guitar, I felt led to take
lessons. With three small children, a pastor husband and a church full of
people, I looked beyond reason and common sense and signed up for classes.
My young instructor was very talented and inspiring; yet,
what he showed me would take hours of practice; and I knew there were not
enough minutes in the day for me to dedicate to learning this skilled art.
That week, I did my guitar class homework, but I prayed
about whether or not to continue taking lessons. The Lord told me to go to one
more class and to take my young instructor the book, "Evidence that
Demands a Verdict".
Confused, but wanting to walk in the Spirit, I did just
that. My instructor politely accepted the book, gave me another lesson and
promised to visit us at our church some time.
Many months went by and I forgot this episode in my life,
as I immersed myself in the hustle and bustle of life. Then, one epic day, my
former classical guitar instructor rocked my world.
He entered our church facility and pulled me aside. He
told me a tale, which caused me to cry the whole time he related it:
His girlfriend broke up with him
several weeks after my last lesson, and he had to move. In the midst of
packing, he decided to end his life.
He removed his gun from his
dresser drawer and placed it on the coffee table in the living room. Leaning
back on the couch, he contemplated his life and exactly how to terminate it.
As he blankly stared straight
ahead, his eye noticed the book I brought him those many months before. He
leaned forward and opened it to a random page and started reading.
The page he opened to answered
the exact question that had been gnawing at him for half of his life. He read
the page twice and then continued to read, opening Josh McDowell's book to
random pages over and over again.
Eventually, he fell on his face
before the Lord, repented of his sins and rose to walk in a new life. He came to
our church that day to hug my neck and to thank me for listening to the Spirit
and buying him that book.
God not only spared this young man's life, but He set his
feet on a new path of leading worship in the blessings and glory of the Lord.
That one divine appointment had a ripple effect, which changed many lives in
the future, including mine.
God has divine appointments for all of us (Acts 16:9-11,
25-34). He will even use strange and unattainable desires in our heart to
direct us to the right place, at the right time, to the right person, whose
life He wants to impact for His Kingdom.
Prayer:
Father God, there is nothing too small or too great for
You. You use our lives for Your purpose, to grow Your Kingdom and to draw the
world to Your unconditional mercy, love and grace. Fill us in all of our being
with all of Your fullness, so that we may have the richest measure of Your
presence and become Your Body wholly filled with You (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Help us to discern the leading of Your Spirit through each
moment of our life, and anoint our body, soul and spirit to make a difference
in the lives of those You bring our way. Teach us to humble our self under Your
mighty hand and use us for Your honor and glory (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).
Thought for the Day:
“Disappointment = His-appointment. Change one letter,
then I see that the thwarting of my purpose is God’s better choice for
me." —Young
