I have a friend. Her name is Desiree. She's 51. She lives in my neighborhood. But, as of April 30, she's homeless. I don't see her often--only when I drive past her on the road. She doesn't have a phone or a house, so planned meetings aren't really possible. She walks about 3-5 miles a day to get where she needs to go. She's half African American, half white. She has a daughter who's 19 and a grandson who's 3. She's been in prison before for drugs. She doesn't have a car. She doesn't have her license--it was taken away for driving without insurance. When she did have an apartment, she couldn't use electricity because she didn't have the money to pay the bill.
How did I meet Desiree? Obedience.
A few months ago I was driving home from church after we heard a sermon on evangelism. As I drove through my neighborhood, I started thinking of all the things I needed to do that day--what I was going to have for lunch, what homework needed to get done, when I was going to clean the kitchen--when I saw her. She had a purple jacket and a scarf wrapped around her head, and she was pushing a cart with a couple TVs and a baseball bat in it. I sensed the Holy Spirit urge me to stop and talk with her, but I was afraid. And, I didn't want to disrupt my plans for the day. So, I drove on. I got to the intersection of my street, and I knew I had to go back. So, I turned around, and she looked right at me. Our eyes locked, and I smiled. I put the car in park and rolled down my window, wondering if I'd just made a mistake, "Can I talk with you for a second?" "Yeah," she replied. So, I pulled over and got out. "How are you?" "You know, I'm makin' it." "Yeah? Well, I was just wondering if I could pray for you for anything?" "You can as a matter of fact."
She proceeded to tell me that she was being evicted from her apartment the next day because she couldn't pay the rent. She was in the process of moving all of her belongings by cart to her daughter's apartment a couple miles away. I prayed for her, and I spent the next hour helping her move her stuff in my car. She said over and over that day, "Are you an angel? You just appeared out of nowhere--poof! Are you sure you're not an angel?"
I'm not an angel, of course. But, what a blessing it was to be a vessel of God's blessing in Desiree's life that day. And, to think, I almost drove on. God knows what we need. He knows what's best. As I have learned to walk in obedience and submission to Don; I have learned a little more what it looks to walk in obedience and submission to God. Each day, he has good works planned out for us (Ephesians 2:10), but too often we're too busy to listen. When we feel that nudge, we don't need to fear--His ways are always higher than our ways. We are not just called to obedience when we understand the rationale behind the request. When Jesus called the disciples it says, "...at once, they left their nets and followed him." They had no idea what he was calling them to or even why he was calling. (If they did, they probably never would have followed.) But, they were obedient.
Sometimes we can fear that it is not the voice of God but our own voice calling us to action, but if the nudge we feel is in line with the Scriptures calling us "to act justly and to love mercy" (Micah 6:8), we can be confident in our obedience. And, the confidence grows each time we obey, and we see the fruit that God blesses us with. The goal of the Christian life is "to walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). We will probably start out in obedience in fits and spurts "soaring on wings like eagles" but crashing to the ground with fatigue from going it alone, running hard but growing weary, but He's promised that those who hope in the Lord will be strengthened to walk and not faint. Apart from Him we can do nothing, but He's promised to remain in those who remain in Him (John 15:5). And, He's promised that those who are faithful with little will be given much and will share in their Master's happiness (Matthew 25:21).
Her name is Desiree. That means "desire" in French. Psalm 34:1 says, "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." I'm so thankful that God keeps his promises. As I learn to delight in Him, He continues to give me the "desires" of my heart. I love Desiree. She is my friend.
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