Protect a child-A Jabez appointment 2
Torn Apart
Thanks you for joining me for another story from my book, "Reach out, Each day". If you did not read the first hub where I explain what began my journey of Reaching out for God, please read it first. A Jabez Appointment changed my life. The idea of it being a Jabez appointment is due to a bible study where we used Prayer of Jabez to teach us to reach out and help others. It is a wonderful book, I encourage others to take the time to read. It is a very small book so doesn't take very long. This hub is number two in a series of some of the stories from that my book, Reach out, each day.
Torn apart
My friend, Anna, and I were sitting in the airport in San Francisco, waiting to board our plane for New Jersey. It was my very first, “real”, speaking engagement. New Jersey! Wow! I had never been there before and was pretty excited about it. Talk about God enlarging my territory! From speaking in front of my friends at a Women’s retreat fifty miles from home to traveling across country to speak at a church-- having no idea how many people might attend.
I had just published my third book, Water to Wine, 2 Fish to a Feast when I received a phone call from one of the contributors who had shared a story for the book. She asked if I would consider coming to her church in New Jersey to speak about my book and share my testimony, as well as, singing a few songs.
As Anna and I sat waiting for time to board the plane, I noticed a family sitting across the aisle; a man, woman and a child. The woman was trying very hard to keep her child from seeing the tears falling down her cheeks.
I thought it somewhat strange, and had a very strong feeling that I needed to talk to her. How in the world could I just walk over there and intrude in their family space? I continued to feel as though I was being “pushed” toward her.
Then the father rose up from his seat, took the child by the hand and walked away. I said, “Anna, I have to go and see what is wrong with that woman. She just seems so disturbed and maybe in need of a woman to talk with. I have to go while her husband is gone.” Anna, of course, said, “Go girl!”
I walked over, sat down right next to the woman and said, “I noticed you seem really upset and wondered if I might be able to help.” She replied, “I am just absolutely torn apart. I am divorced from my child’s father and he is living in another state now. The court ordered me to fly her to him for visitation. I can’t stand to send her alone on that plane, but can’t afford to travel with her. It is just breaking my heart to hand her over to the airline attendants. This is my baby!”
I told her I knew exactly how she was feeling. I said, “When my youngest daughter was about ten years old, she got angry with me and wanted to go and live with her dad in the next town. The day I drove her to his home, I was so heartbroken I could not drive myself back home. I drove about a mile away and stopped my car at a friend’s home and cried until there were no tears left”
I asked her if we could pray together for her to have peace about this new phase of her life and she said, “Oh yes, I would love that”. I put my arms around her and asked God to give her peace and wisdom to continue through her situation. As we finished praying, her husband and child walked back up and sat down and I returned to my seat.
The airline personnel began calling for boarding to begin and the couple walked up and kissed their baby girl goodbye, returning to their seats to watch the plane leave.
Anna and I got in line and as we were handing our boarding passes to the attendant, Anna motioned for me to look over to the side.
The woman and man were moving up to where we were standing and the woman said, “I just want to thank you for talking and praying with me and also I want to tell you that I will now feel so much better about my baby being on that plane knowing you will be there to watch over her for me”.
When we boarded the plane we realized that my seat was directly in front and Anna’ was right across the aisle from the little girl.
There is no doubt in my mind that God prepared the whole scene from guiding me to talk to the mother to having our seats located surrounding the child.
More "Reach out" experiences
- Prayer of Jebez - Changed my life!
This is a personal experience that happened as a result of attending a Bible Study a few years ago. The subject of the study was The Prayer of Jabez, a book written by Bruce Wilkenson. He tells how Jabez prayed to God asking to be blessed, and for Go - Reach out, each day
Do you recognize when someone needs a kind word, a hug, a shoulder to cry on? Sometimes the simplest act by us allows Jesus to touch someone who needs Him. We are to be His arms, legs, body to enable Him to reach those who are spiritually lost. If we