A Divine Interruption
Last year, Victoria and I went to Kenya, Africa to visit my brother Paul and his wife, Jennifer who were there doing mission work. At the end our visit, they took us on a safari. They had taken this same safari a couple of years earlier, so they requested the same guide they had before. His name was Henry, a local Kenyan man, very knowledgeable, very friendly. When we got to the campgrounds, the safari club, the manager asked if I would speak to his staff of about 200 people. So I went over to a little room that they use as their chapel, and I encouraged the people. Of course, Henry was sitting there just beaming from ear to ear and taking it all in.
The day after the safari we had to leave. Henry and the manager drove us to the little airstrip about ten minutes away; a dirt runway in the middle of nowhere. We had arranged for a small propeller plane to come pick us up and take us back to Nairobi. We were told it would be on time, but when we arrived, the plane wasn't there yet. We were all just talking and waiting. Ten minutes went by, fifteen minutes, then thirty minutes. So we called and asked where the plane was. They said, "Well, it left a long, long time ago. It should be there any minute." Another 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and then an hour went by, and they finally called us and said, "Where are you? The pilot landed a long time ago. They're looking for you."
Come to find out they had landed at the wrong airstrip. They were about 20 miles away. Paul said, "That is so odd. I spoke to them myself and specifically let them know we would be at this airstrip."
We finally got on the plane and Victoria said, "Did you hear what happened to Henry?" She began to explain how one of our staff members named John spent that whole time visiting with Henry. John asked Henry about his relationship with the Lord. Henry said, "Well, I know a lot about Jesus, but I've never committed my life to Him." John said, "Henry, would you like to do it right now?" He smiled real big and with great confidence he said, "Yes, I would." Right there on the African plains with the sun setting majestically in the background, Henry committed his life to Christ. He couldn't wait to call his wife. She was so excited. She said, "I have been praying for this moment for 17 years. It's a dream come true."
Friend, that moment was a divine interruption. If that plane would have arrived on time, John wouldn't have had the opportunity to share with Henry. I believe God, on purpose, confused those pilots and had them go to the wrong airstrip. After all, Paul had checked and even double-checked, yet they still made a mistake.
Remember, what may look like a mistake to us, what may seem like a disappointment may be a divine interruption. We have to keep our hearts and minds open to what God is doing. You may never know why something has happened, but you can rest assured that God is working behind the scenes to bring good out of every situation.
The day after the safari we had to leave. Henry and the manager drove us to the little airstrip about ten minutes away; a dirt runway in the middle of nowhere. We had arranged for a small propeller plane to come pick us up and take us back to Nairobi. We were told it would be on time, but when we arrived, the plane wasn't there yet. We were all just talking and waiting. Ten minutes went by, fifteen minutes, then thirty minutes. So we called and asked where the plane was. They said, "Well, it left a long, long time ago. It should be there any minute." Another 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and then an hour went by, and they finally called us and said, "Where are you? The pilot landed a long time ago. They're looking for you."
Come to find out they had landed at the wrong airstrip. They were about 20 miles away. Paul said, "That is so odd. I spoke to them myself and specifically let them know we would be at this airstrip."
We finally got on the plane and Victoria said, "Did you hear what happened to Henry?" She began to explain how one of our staff members named John spent that whole time visiting with Henry. John asked Henry about his relationship with the Lord. Henry said, "Well, I know a lot about Jesus, but I've never committed my life to Him." John said, "Henry, would you like to do it right now?" He smiled real big and with great confidence he said, "Yes, I would." Right there on the African plains with the sun setting majestically in the background, Henry committed his life to Christ. He couldn't wait to call his wife. She was so excited. She said, "I have been praying for this moment for 17 years. It's a dream come true."
Friend, that moment was a divine interruption. If that plane would have arrived on time, John wouldn't have had the opportunity to share with Henry. I believe God, on purpose, confused those pilots and had them go to the wrong airstrip. After all, Paul had checked and even double-checked, yet they still made a mistake.
Remember, what may look like a mistake to us, what may seem like a disappointment may be a divine interruption. We have to keep our hearts and minds open to what God is doing. You may never know why something has happened, but you can rest assured that God is working behind the scenes to bring good out of every situation.