lent 24 - ordered steps

A person’s steps are directed by the Lord. Prov 20:24

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Psalm 37:23

Yesterday was the day when Keith and I both found ourselves without a job to go to.  He finished his job with the circus on Wednesday and starts a new job on Monday.  I finished my charity job last Saturday and now only work at the start of the week.  So we had a very rare day off together and equally rarely the sun was blazing so we went for a drive and took the dog.  We had thought we would do the drive to Keith's new workplace to suss out how long it would take him and which would be the best of the winding country routes to take cross country.  When we were almost at the destination I said ' we could nip down to the estuary and take the dog for a walk just now, or go into town and walk the dog later.'  The turning was coming up - Keith said' let's take the dog now'.  So we turned off.

Arrived at the parking place, let the dog off.  Tide was so far out you couldn't even see the sea and that meant that the causeway to the little island which is nearly always covered over when we are there, was dry as a bone,so we walked out to the island.  There were about four other people out with dogs.  We passed and nodded and smiled and commented on the glorious day.   

We walked past a young man, tall and slim wearing dark clothes and a beanie hat, and as we did I had the fleeting thought that perhaps that young man wasn't OK. He was walking in the opposite direction to us, round the island.  I fired a quick thought to the Lord that if the 'not OK' thought was a God thought then we would meet him again on the other side.   When we got back to the causeway to exit the island the young guy was in front of us a couple of hundred yards.  The ' not OK' thought was shouting louder so I said to Keith that I thought the Lord wanted me to speak to that young man.   We kept walking.  Young man stopped and just stood which enabled us to catch up with him.  He was looking at his phone.  We walked up to him, then slightly past him.  Molly chose this moment to belly flop into a big salty, sandy puddle and come out filthy.  Keith looked at young guy and asked him if he knew if there was anywhere close by where we might find some water to wash the dog.   Young man said there were some toilets in the car park.  I then plucked up courage and said '  Are you OK?'

Young man smiled and said ' Oh, yes, Im fine thanks, I know why you might have thought that, its because I was walking by myself, but Im actually fine'.  I said ' well actually, its because Im a Christian and I just felt that God said to me to ask you if you were OK'

Young man ( his name was Sam) suddenly opened wide up and said that he had been brought up a christian but had drifted a bit.  He had just finished school and had planned to go to uni but that hadn't worked out and now he was feeling lost and had no idea what to do next.   He said his friends all had a plan, that his parents were supportive but that he was ' a bit lost'.   I told him that God knew that, and that I wasnt in the habit of accosting complete strangers but God wanted him to know that He was on Sam's case.  We asked if we could pray for him and he was more than happy.  We prayed that he would reconnect with God and his church, would see the next steps God was putting in front of him and be patient in waiting for the next thing.  Then off we went

In the car the scriptures above came to me.   Even though Keith and I thought that we were ordering our own steps yesterday, even though we had not particularly invited Jesus on our drive, God still ordered our steps.  Our meeting with Sam was by no means a life defining or saving moment I'm sure, but it was probably an affirming and encouraging one for Sam and most definitely was for us.  It made me hyper aware that God moves His people around like pieces on a chess board, placing us strategically all the time to achieve His purposes.  I believe that our presence as light bearers changes the atmosphere wherever we are.  Who knows how many plans of the enemy are thwarted every day just because God has His people moving about on streets in towns and cities.  We are God' Ninjas  💪😇😊

I have thoughts about people I pass in the street quite often.  I rarely act on them.  Usually for fear of being wrong, looking like an idiot, being an inconvenience etc etc.  I'm still in Ninja training school 101.