Look for God’s Appointments in Your Life 

Last weekend I saw a commercial that contained the statement, “Some things are too obvious to be a coincidence.” That declaration expressed how I felt about something which I had experienced just a few days prior to viewing the ad. I had come away from it with the clear sense that God had orchestrated the encounter.

It began routinely enough as I took my wife’s vehicle to get it serviced. As I was waiting on the work to be done, another man entered the establishment asking if he could hang around until the nearby car rental business opened. He came into the waiting area, we exchanged greetings, and almost immediately he asked if I was a pastor and suggested that I looked familiar to him. As it turned out, he had read my newspaper columns regularly, even making numerous copies of one in particular that he had distributed to people over the years. This fresh revelation of someone finding my writing to be meaningful even to the point of sharing it with others came at a time when I needed such encouragement. However, the story doesn’t stop there.

 After further conversation, I discovered that the reason this gentleman was getting a rental car was because he was traveling to attend a Christian writer’s conference. He was in the process of writing his first book and seeking to get it published. Therefore I was able to share some of my experiences with him and hopefully was of some assistance as he pursued this new endeavor. So not only had he encouraged me, but possibly I was a blessing to him in some way too. Before this man departed to procure his car, we took a moment to pray for each other. I was left with a joyful assurance that the Lord had brought us together that morning.

Don’t get the wrong impression. Such obviously God-directed meetings aren’t a daily occurrence for me. This was the clearest such event I had experienced in a while. However, I do believe God is daily directing the steps of His followers and often setting up encounters with other people whether or not they are as evident as this one was to me. I did not have any specific guidance from God that led me to the car shop that day. My being there was because our vehicle needed some attention. However, I had prayed that morning, as I usually do, for the Lord’s direction about what I would do that day. In contrast, the other man involved told me how he had specifically prayed for where God wanted him to go while he was waiting for the rental car business to open. He felt a definite divine push to go where he went.  

The point is that the Lord has places for us to be and people to meet each day. It may come as part of our everyday routine, or it may happen as the Holy Spirit nudges us in some unusual direction. We need to be seeking His guidance, receptive to His leading, expecting opportunities, and ready to walk through the doors He opens for us. It may be that He wants to use you to be a help and blessing to someone, or it could be that He wants to send someone to you who will encourage or bless you in some way.

When I walked into that car shop, the man behind the counter asked if I had an appointment. I told him that I didn’t. However, I found out that God had set up a different kind of appointment for me that day. He has appointments for you too. Look for them as you cross paths with people each day. Those encounters aren’t just coincidences.