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“One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter.”
–– Acts 10:3-5
I have never been known for my spontaneity. In fact, those close to me would probably tell you I am about as spontaneous as a slab of granite. They would be tempted to take my temperature if they ever heard me sunnily utter the words –– “Sure, I’ll go!” Thus, my witness to God’s providence would undoubtedly include the mystery of me saying yes when asked by someone I had never met to join her for dinner in order to meet someone else I had never met.
Newly ordained, single, and frankly, the antithesis of hot, it was common for me to field inquiries from church members hoping to remedy their fear I might die alone –– There’s someone I’d like you to meet. So, becoming well acquainted with Rolaids, I went on a few first dates seemingly predestined not to be followed by a second date.
It was then that a church member, refusing to be deterred by my growing skepticism about blind dating, injected a bit more risk to the plan by attaching an additional layer of stranger danger. Apparently, she knew someone from some time in the past who could possibly know someone I might enjoy meeting. To me, that seemed one or two degrees of separation too many, and yet some mysterious force compelled my lips to say yes when the first of the somebodies called. Terrified, with fingers tremoring, I miraculously managed to press the doorbell, unwittingly waiting as the door slowly opened to the joy of my life. Thirty-eight years later, I remain totally indebted to the mysterious impulse that led me say yes to possibility instead of caving to fear.
In Ecclesiastes, we read that God’s ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind. You never know how one encounter can redirect your life’s path in ways that are life-giving as the ripple effects of that one encounter spread far into the distance and even into the future. Had Cornelius ignored the entreaty of the angel, or if Peter had avoided the Gentiles, trusting his training more than the rooftop vision, would the church be the church as we know it? The providence of God, though mysterious, overcomes our fears and fuels our future with purpose. As observed in Ephesians –– “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace.”
Yes, there are times when “no” is the wisest response, but let us pause long enough to at least ask if God may be calling us into a new future. It would be a shame to miss it.
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