So being a new mom, I’ve begun to truly appreciate the experience commonly known as the “drive-thru”.  The idea of getting out of the car, lugging my 16 ½ lb baby into the store, all for a cup of coffee just seems absurd. I now will actually drive an additional 15 minutes each way just to use the Starbucks drive thru! Today, needing a few items at the grocery store, I packed up all of our gear and got ready to do this extra long drive all for a pre-shopping cup of coffee. Unfortunately for me and my desires, God had a different plan. I felt like today, I needed to drive to Southbury to do my grocery shopping. It’s only a few extra miles from where I normally would go, and closer than the drive-thru I planned to use, but the downside is that the Southbury Starbucks doesn’t have a drive-thru! I really tried to get out of this one, justifying why I should just do what’s easiest for me. But in the end, I listened and headed off to Southbury.

I drudged through the hot parking lot, with my little guy, and then drudged back to the car with not one but two drinks in my hands, plus my wallet and my keys. I was not a happy camper.  Then I got to stop-n-shop, did my shopping, and checked out. The caffeine had kicked in a bit, and I was a little more enthusiastic about the day as I was walking out of the store.  As I was about to go through the cross walk, I looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear, and to my left I saw something that truly startled me.  An older woman with a cane was completely leaning on a man who was shaking in an effort to hold her up and keep her from falling into the road. Now my first instinct from my childhood was to keep walking. I knew that I couldn’t physically go over to them and help the man hold up the woman. If he was struggling, I would not be of much help; after all I struggled carrying my little guy! So not wanting to be an unhelpful bystander, I figured I’d keep walking. No sooner had I come to that conclusion then I’d realized how completely wrong it was.  So I rushed over to them, laid hands on the woman and started to pray.

Now, in all honesty, when I pray out loud, I usually like to have a few moments to prepare what I’m going to pray, but in this moment that wasn’t an option. The first words that came out of my mouth were “In the name of Jesus”.  The man struggling to hold the woman up looked at me with complete shock, but I closed my eyes and continued to pray.  My prayer was short; I believe I prayed something along the lines of “In the name of Jesus, I speak perfect peace into your body, perfect strength…” Then I prayed in tongues quietly to myself.  In the next moment, an employee rushed out with a chair and the woman was able to sit down. I waited for a few moments then asked her if she was ok. She smiled at me and responded by saying she had diabetes. I could tell by her eyes that the moment of crisis had past, so I smiled and headed to my car. And I knew that was it… that was the reason I had to go to Southbury today. God had orchestrated it all perfectly. He knew I’d slowly drudge through the starbucks parking lot, He knew it would take me a few tries to straighten out in my parking spot, He knew how long my shopping would take, and He knew that ladies schedule.  He knew that maybe she hadn’t eaten correctly to manage her blood sugar, and He knew precisely the moment she’d lose her strength. And I know that He loves her.

I don’t know a thing about either of those people, other than the woman had diabetes. I don’t know what they think about God, or the lady who ran over and started to pray for them. Based on the man’s surprise, I have a feeling they didn’t have much faith, or faith at all. But as I sit here and recount this story, I rejoice in God’s love for us.  God sent his only Son, to live a perfect life and die a criminal’s death, so that woman could be healed, so that we could be saved, and that we could live in the fullness of Christ, and then enjoy an eternity with Him. Halleluiah.