Throughout our daily plans and schedules, God is present—anointing conversations and authoring divine appointments with perfect precision. It’s easy to become distracted from God’s presence by our own thoughts and to-do lists; however, when we ask God to provide opportunities to trust him, he does. And he did for me.
The day after our ministry in Orlando ended, a few team members and I decided to go out to eat. We originally planned to go to one restaurant, but after seeing how crowded it was, we decided on another.
While enjoying our fast food, a man approached our table, looking like he had seen better days. David explained his vehicle had been towed and pleaded for food to feed him and his wife. One of our team members, also named David, bought the man some food, while the other team members and I went to talk to his wife, who was sitting alone.
In broken English, she told us her mother had just passed away. This woman was hurting. Having just experienced the death of a close friend, I was able to empathize with her pain. Through her tears, I was able to let her know that she was not alone in her suffering, and Jesus is the one true healer. As my friend returned with the couple’s food, we were able to ask them for any prayer requests and pray with them before we left.
I soon realized this encounter was no accident; it was planned. As funny as it sounds, there was a reason the first restaurant we had selected was crowded. I was humbly reminded everything we do and everywhere we go has a purpose—for God’s will to be done. All we have to do is open our eyes to what God already is doing and step out in faith to be a part of his beautiful work.
The mission work does not end when the trip ends. God has commanded us to live on mission. When we do this, we are not only shown God’s majesty, but also are fulfilling God’s glorious plan for our lives.
Elizabeth Collett, a student at Texas State University, served with a creative arts team in Orlando, Fla., through Go Now Missions.
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