God in the Grocery Store - Part 2

(Please read Part 1 first by clicking here.)

            Right there in the baking aisle I knew I needed to call my friend. With hospice visiting her husband during the day and their many friends checking up on them, I knew she would not accept my offer. But, the thought to offer to spend the night at their house was strong. I knew I needed to be obedient to what I now felt was the Holy Spirit telling me to do this.

            Pretending to look at some cake frosting, I dialed her number. I swallowed hard and could feel my face getting hot with embarrassment.  Maybe there was something else I could do instead. I scanned the cake mixes and boxes of brownies. I would offer to bring brownies! That sounded a lot more normal. A roast! I could make a roast and bring them a full-blown meal tomorrow night. Laundry! I could offer to do their laundry. That was less embarrassing than what I thought I heard. Maybe I hadn’t heard right. Who in their right mind would want someone to spend the night at 7:30 at night? And what would I do when I got there? How would that help at all?

            The phone began to ring. She sounded surprised to hear my voice since I just left her house about a half hour earlier.

            Knowing for sure she would decline my offer I began,  

“Hey, I was wondering if you would like me to spend the night at your house tonight?” My face was red with heat.

“Yes, that would be great, honey. That is so nice of you to offer. I will go fix up the guest bed.” She said.

            What? What just happened? She really did want me to spend the night?

            All of a sudden it became crystal clear and made perfect sense. This was not about me at all. It wasn’t about me thinking it was a crazy idea, my embarrassment to offer it, or even what I would do when I got there.

            This was between her and the Lord. He loved her so much and in this tender, frightening, sad time she was going through, He wanted someone to be there with her that night. She needed someone to be with her. Her own adult daughters lived out of state and could not get there to be with her and their Dad yet.

            I seemed like an unlikely person for the job, but this appeared to be what the Lord brought for her. I went home, packed a bag and drove back to their house. She welcomed me with a big hug. She was noticeable pleased and grateful I was there.

            For the rest of the week her husband was alive, she referred to me as her ‘angel’.

            There have been many times a thought has popped into my head, and either I knew it was not from the Lord, and was just my own thought, or I wasn’t sure and blew it off. This time there was no denying it was the Lord looking after, loving and caring for my friend in her time of need.

            I was glad I heard and obeyed.

“What is more pleasing to the lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,” 
1 Samuel 15:22