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Monday, June 22, 2015

A Divine Encounter at Calvary

Sometimes, because I am a follower of Jesus, I walk right into strange encounters.
Maybe you do too.
And maybe they aren't so much strange as divine.

I had one of these divine encounters on Sunday.
After recently moving away, Matthew and I were visiting the church my parents go to in Knoxville.
We LOVE this church and even though we don't live there anymore, I listen to Dan's sermons through podcasts because no one preaches like he does.
Matthew pointed out that it's not even like preaching.
Every Sunday is like a personal conversation between me & Dan.
I love this church for many reasons, but mostly because they love their community.
There is a pretty large group of special needs adults that the church cares for.
My parents recently accompanied them to a Smokies baseball game and quickly made friends with a few of these men.
My dad is legally blind and doesn't drive so he hit it off with another guy who doesn't drive but figured out that my mom does and spent the whole  game trying to convince her to drive them to Dollywood! I could definitely be friends with this guy!
Anyways, I digress.

So Sunday, after being gone for 3 weeks, Matthew and I showed up earlier than usual for church at Calvary.
As we walked into the sanctuary, one of these sweet special needs guys handed me the day's brochure.
I noticed he had left a scrap of paper in it and pulled it out, "Oh wait! You left your notes in this one!" I said as I handed it back to him.
"Oh no,"' he told me closing my hand around the note and holding on for a moment, "this is for you. In case you are having a bad day and need to make it better. Or in case you need to pray for a hard time in your family."
The paper was a list of verses from Isaiah.

I was silenced.
How could he possibly know there were hard things going on in my family?
How could he possibly know the last few weeks at my new job had been beyond challenging?
How could he possibly know I was holding on by a thread?

I thanked him enthusiastically and walked, stunned, to the pew where Matthew was waiting.

Here are the verses that he gave me.

The grass withers & the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8

We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; & the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

In that day you will say: "I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away & you have comforted me". Isaiah 12:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives." Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him -- the Spirit of wisdom & of understanding, the Spirit of counsel & of might, the Spirit of the knowledge & fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:2


A sweet encounter, divinely arranged by my Jesus.


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