Divine Appointments

I’m discovering something fascinating about simply walking with Jesus: Divine Appointments can happen anytime and anywhere.

God’s Divine Appointments are like gifts you receive—not because it’s a recognized holiday or your birthday, but simply because someone loves you and wants to show it. Sometimes those gifts are small; sometimes they’re grand.

For me, a small Divine Appointment might be catching the first rays of sunlight or the final colors of a sunset. Other times it’s walking around a corner and hearing the Holy Spirit whisper, “Say hi to this person and shine My light.”

Just like that, you’ve met a brother or sister in Christ you didn’t know you had.

Or there was this morning.

I passed by my first two usual “fishing” spots before stopping at the edge of town. There I struck up a conversation with a fellow pilgrim on the narrow path—a retired lineman turned truck driver named Joe Boy. It felt like talking with a good friend from a high school you haven’t seen in decades.

As we wrapped up, he said, “I think I was supposed to stop here.”

I have faith our paths will intersect again.

And then there are Divine Appointments by phone.

I spoke recently with a former graduate student of mine—Jeff—from the late 1990s. He now lives and works in Paraguay. He’s no longer a student or professional colleague, but a fellow man of God, a brother in Christ, and a pilgrim walking a similar path. Separated by geography, yet united in God’s purpose.

As we talked, Jeff said, “It sounds like you’re having fun.”

That stopped me.

Yes. I am having fun.

In fact, this must be the joy that seems so missing in many lives today. Serving as an ambassador of Christ and a pilgrim on the narrow path is joyful in a way the world could never manufacture.

When I first read Philip saying, “Come and see,” they were just words on a page.

Now, I find myself saying the same thing:

Come and see.

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“And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:46 (NKJV)

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NKJV)