One of the options for the Blog Hop this week was to share what I have said 'yes' to and what led to my decision of obedience. I thought about this on my drive in to work today and the Lord brought a few instances to memory. They aren't huge "Yes" moments, but I'll share them with you and hope you are encouraged to step out of your comfort zone and be obedient, too.
Excuse Me...
The first 'yes' moment happened after Joe and I were married and I needed to change my drivers license to reflect my new name and address. I had taken off work on this particular Friday and we were going to get 'er done and then spend the rest of the day together. We arrived at the MVA, waited in line until they opened, and when we got inside, I was told that I needed a certified copy of my marriage license, one with the embossed seal; the paper I had was not going to work. I was frustrated and annoyed that we needed to go to the courthouse (about 30 minutes away) to get certified copies before returning to MVA to wait in line again.
So off to the courthouse we went. Joe parked in a garage not close to the courthouse so we had about a 15-20 minute walk to the courthouse and back through the city. We got copies and started the walk back to the car. So here I am, trying to make the best of this situation, when the day didn't go as I planned, and I'm trying my hardest to be positive. At least Joe and I are together and it's not raining.
Then all of a sudden, my thoughts are interrupted by an older woman with her arm in a sling. She asked if we could help her to her car and shut the door for her, as she was not able to use her left arm. Joe, being the gentleman he is, said, "Of course!" and we followed her the short distance to her car. Walking over, I felt a nudge to pray for her. Now, I don't usually do that, ask people if I can pray with them. But I did and she said she would love that. So right there - in the middle of a parking lot - in the middle of a day that didn't go as I planned - I prayed with her. When I finished she just looked at me with a big smile and told us she was a believer too and believed in the the power of prayer. She thanked us and we went on our way.
I felt so ALIVE! My heart was beating hard in my chest and I was so excited!! It was thrilling to do that, to step out of my comfort zone, and say 'yes' to the little nudge of the Spirit.
Can You Help Me...
Another 'yes' moment was similar, except this time fast forward a few months and Joe and I were on the parking lot of Home Depot, getting ready to buy some things for our home. A woman approached Joe, said she was homeless and asked for money to get something to eat. One, we don't usually carry cash, and two, we don't usually give to anyone who asks for money (we give to our church that supports homeless ministries, etc).
But this day, Joe started to walk away to catch up to me, and when I asked what happened, he explained. So we called her back and walked over to her. We told her we didn't have any cash to give her (we really didn't), but I asked if we could pray with her. She agreed and we prayed. It was easier this time to say yes to the slight nudge of the Spirit.
I don't know what happened to this woman, but I know that a seed was planted in her life. I thought of the time when Peter and John were approached by a beggar and they told him, "Silver and gold, have I none, but such as I have I give thee". That's how I felt that day - no money to spare, but Joe and I gave her what we had - a simple prayer, a reminder that the God of the universe cared about her.
It's Not About Me...
Thinking about these moments this morning, I remembered how great it felt to do this, to be obedient to pray with a stranger, and truly believe for God to intervene in their lives. I was encouraged this morning, to know that God had used me because I was obedient. And He can use me again. It's not about me, but about my choosing to be obedient and allow God to work through me. I am reminded of the quote from Lysa TerKeurst on page 45 of her book:
"We need not fear what our obedience will cause to happen in our life.
We should only fear what our disobedience will cause us to miss."
It's not just about what my disobedience will cause me to miss, but what it will cause others to miss. What if those two women needed encouragement, or needed to know that God cares, and I missed it and didn't pray with them? Would God have used someone else? Would I have missed a blessing? Or worse yet, caused someone else to miss a blessing?
Timing is Everything...
My last 'yes' moment I'll share with you happened a couple years ago. I had been praying about giving money to a single mother in our church to help her buy school supplies for her four children. I wanted it to be God-inspired and not just my own selfish desire to do good. So I prayed about it for a couple weeks until I felt the go-ahead from God. I put $50 in a card, wrote a note, and gave it to this mom at church one Sunday morning. A few minutes later, she came running up to me with tears in her eyes, gave me a hug and kept saying thank you. She told me just earlier that morning in Sunday School, she requested prayer for finances to help buy school supplies for her kids. I walked away amazed - God had seemingly answered her prayer immediately, but God had been working on my heart for a couple weeks, to answer her prayer right on time. I said 'yes' to God, and we were both blessed.
When we are radically obedient, choosing to say yes to God and give what is not ours to begin with - God blesses us and all those involved. Sometimes, He lets us see the whole picture - like the money for school supplies. Sometimes He just wants us to be obedient and trust His plan - like praying for a stranger. He wants us to be blessed and be a blessing by just being radically obedient.
How will you say 'yes' to God today?
