Late Afternoon Text Message

Every seventh week we suspend our usual street meetings and devote the day exclusively to indoor fellowship with the saints. Such was the case this afternoon. The gathering had concluded, everyone had returned home, and we ourselves had already settled ourselves to catch up on some much needed rest when I received a message from the couple with whom we had spoken the previous week. They were inquiring whether we would be holding our usual service at the park that day, expressing a sincere eagerness to know more. I kindly explained our schedule and the reason for our absence. Yet after the conversation ended, a thought pressed itself upon me: they had come expecting fellowship, and now had nothing for them this week. I was deeply concerned. They mattered to my Lord, they matter to me. My wife and I therefore made a quick decision. We gathered our things, set aside our rest, and made the journey to meet them. What was supposed to end as an ordinary afternoon suddenly became another providential appointment for labor. 

Preach the word, be ready whether it is convenient or not..
2 Timothy 4:2

As we traveled, I purposed especially to set before them the Gospel through the framework of covenant and biblical theology. My desire was not merely to answer isolated questions or correct particular errors, but to help them see the grand unity of God's redemptive purpose as it unfolded throughout the Scriptures and finds its fulfillment in Christ. I yearned in my soul to tell them how all truth points unto the Savior.

Even before I turned towards the park in the middle of traffic my wife got off, with much thoughtfulness, ran to a nearby department store and purchased a whiteboard and markers. It may seem a small thing, yet this simple tool hath proven exceedingly useful in helping me illustrate the key features of the biblical covenants and the unfolding unity of God's redemptive plan. The Lord impressed this upon her heart. Left to myself, I would have struggled to communicate many of these truths with the same clarity. There are matters which, though easily understood when seen, are difficult to grasp when spoken only in words. The whiteboard enabled me to set the concepts before their eyes, tracing the connections and relationships in a manner that mere speech could not so readily accomplish. God's provision often arrives through ordinary means. It was a simple purchase but it became an instrument of instruction in the Lord's hand. And as I watched them focus intently as I drew on the board I found myself quietly grateful that the Lord had anticipated a need which I myself had not fully considered.

After more than an hour of teaching and fellowship, we prepared to depart. Before doing so, we gave the couple several gifts which my wife had thoughtfully prepared for them, together with a meager assistance for food. A storm was scheduled to come in tonight. Dark clouds had begun to cover the sky, and flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the clouds. We made our way home beneath a light drizzle, a mercy for which we have often learned to thank the Lord. Many times He hath permitted us to travel beneath such gentle rain and we enjoy the cool experience every time. Because our departure had been so sudden, we had not the opportunity to prepare an evening meal before leaving. We therefore stopped at a small store near our home to purchase a simple supper. It was then that the rain finally fell. It descended heavily, prompting us to set our dinner right there outside the store.

There were no tables available, but the guard, showing unexpected kindness, provided us some cardboard boxes to sit upon outside the shop while we ate. Thus we enjoyed our humble dinner date in contentment, watching the rain as it fell. There was nothing remarkable about the setting by any standards, yet such moments often carry a sweetness of their own when received as gifts from the hand of God. By the time our meal was finished, the rain had begun to ease. We continued on our way and arrived home safely. Wet, but grateful for the Lord's protection, provision, and the many small mercies by which He adorns even the most ordinary of days. Today was an honor and a privilege from my King.

The day might well have ended when the service was dismissed. Yet our God had appointed further mercies beyond what we expected. Thus the day closed not with rest alone, but with a deeper joy and a fuller sense of His gracious providence on us all.