The Young Lady at the Kiosk
A few years ago, I was walking through a shopping mall with some friends. On this outing, we were focused on possible outreach opportunities. We were trying to discern who might be open to an encounter with God.
Others were having some good encounters, but for me, it seemed to be a really slow day. Then I stopped in a kiosk area where a young lady was representing a charity organization. I listened to her “pitch” as she described the mission of this organization, but I was also listening for something else.
I wondered if this young lady might be open to receiving a message from God, and so as I listened to her, I also waited on the Holy Spirit. I was listening for any message that God might have for this young lady in that moment.
I tend to be a visual person, so I often receive revelation from the Holy Spirit in the form of pictures or visions. Maybe you are the same way. When I wait on the Holy Spirit in situations like this, I listen, but mostly I watch. I watch for any pictures, images, or visions to suddenly appear on the “movie screen” in my head. I am not sure if this “screen” is in my spirit or my soul, but from long experience, I know that it is real. I can see this screen clearly whether my physical eyes are open or closed. As I wait in situations like this one in the kiosk, often images will suddenly impose themselves on my “screen.” They do not come from my imagination. They are not products of my thoughts. They just appear. They are imposed on the “screen” that I am watching with the eyes of my spirit. They do not come from me. They come suddenly. I have learned from long experience that these images are communications from the Holy Spirit.
On this day in the kiosk, as I waited, I saw a very quick mini-movie play out on my “screen.” I saw this young lady riding a motorcycle. She left the main roadway and forged her own path through an undeveloped patch of ground.
That was it. That was the revelation. But I did not yet understand what it meant. This is very typical of how revelation comes to me in spontaneous encounters with people. I may see a short vision on my inner movie screen, but then I must wait again on the Holy Spirit for the interpretation of the vision. So, the revelation of the message comes in two parts: first, the vision, and then the meaning or the interpretation of the vision. You may have these same types of experiences.
Sometimes, I have no idea what the vision might mean. In those cases, I just have to wait until the Holy spirit enlightens me with the meaning. In those times, I feel like Jesus may have felt in John chapter 8 when He was under so much pressure to respond, and instead of responding before the time was right, He waited. He bent down and wrote in the sand until it was time to speak. I really wonder if He was stalling for time by writing in the sand until the right words came to Him. That’s the way I feel in moments like these.
In those “writing in the sand” moments, I just wait. There’s nothing else that I can do. I’m basically stalling for time until the revelation comes. But I have found that if I will endure those awkward silences, the wait will be worth it!
On this day at the kiosk, after waiting a few moments, the revelation finally came. Suddenly I just knew what the vision meant.
I finally looked up at the young lady and said, “Can I ask you a question?”
She said, “Sure.”
I said, “Sometimes I get impressions about people, and I just got an impression about you. Is it alright if I share it with you?”
She took a half-step back. “Is it positive?” I could tell that her guard was up.
“Oh,” I responded, “Always positive! This is a good thing.”
“Ok then, go ahead,” she replied.
“I got the impression that you have not followed the crowd in your life, but you have blazed your own trail. You chose to go your own way. You are like a pioneer. And because of that, your choice to go with your heart and not to do what everyone else is doing will lead you to your destiny. This will put you on the path to accomplishing your purpose in life.”
A happy smile came to her face. “I can’t tell you what this means to me! I was just praying and asking God if I was doing the right thing; if I had made the right decision to choose this direction in my life. You have no idea how much it means for you to come here today and to tell me this!”
Most of my outreach encounters don’t result in such a dramatic reaction, but as I am faithful and diligent to continue to reach out to people, as Jesus did, and to wait for the Holy Spirit to speak, more people are touched by God and drawn closer to Jesus.
This is Jesus’ promise to us. If we will believe, we can do the same things that Jesus did.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”—John 14:12 (NKJV)
Maybe everything in my experience had been preparing me for that one moment to touch the life of that one young lady in the mall on that particular Saturday.
If that is true, then it was all worth it.
The Bicycle Salesman
This week, I was back at that same shopping mall.
As my friend and I were walking past a bicycle shop, one particular bike caught my eye. It was an unusual bike that folded in half for easy transport and storage.
I commented to my friend about the bike and stopped to take a closer look at it.
As I did, the salesman came up to us and began explaining the features of that bike and of some of the other models.
He was very friendly and knowledgeable, and seemed genuinely excited about his product without being pushy.
As this salesman took his time to explain the features and benefits of the bicycles, I began to wonder if there was a bigger purpose for this encounter.
Anytime I find myself in an unexpected, prolonged encounter with someone, I begin to wonder if God has something more in mind for this meeting.
I began to intently listen and watch for anything that the Holy Spirit might reveal to me. At first, nothing came to me, so I thought that maybe there was nothing more that God had intended for this encounter.
But we continued to talk, … and then it came.
On the “screen” that I was watching with the inner eyes of my spirit, I just saw a quick impression of a plant being pulled up by the roots.
That was all. Nothing more, but it stayed with me. It was not just a passing thought. It was a real impression that was imposed on my inner “movie screen.”
So I quickly switched my focus to waiting on the Holy Spirit for the interpretation of this vision. Sometimes it is necessary for me to wait and endure an awkward extended pause, but this time, the interpretation came quickly.
As we were wrapping up our conversation, I looked up at the bicycle salesman and said, “Before we leave, this may sound weird, but sometimes I get impressions about people, and I just got an impression about you. Is it OK if I share it with you?”
He nodded, and he seemed totally onboard with this. He almost surprised me with his total openness to receive this insight without any skepticism. Maybe God had prepared his heart beforehand to receive this message.
I tried to choose my words carefully and began saying, “Well, this may be an impression about a traumatic time in your life, but I saw that when you were young, something happened to you, and your life was just ripped up by the roots.”
He confirmed with a nod, “Yes, that’s exactly right.”
I went on, “Well, God wants you to know that He still has a plan for your life. He was there with you when all of that happened to you so many years ago, and He is still with you today. God has not forgotten you.”
He seemed grateful for every word. He was very gracious and thanked me over and over again. His face seemed to light up. His whole countenance seemed to be brighter, and he seemed to be lighter, like he was finally relieved of a burden he had been carrying for a long time. He was smiling broadly when we left.
This seemed to be a life-changing message for this bicycle salesman. This may have been a transformational moment in his life.
I wondered after I left, “What if I had not waited on the Holy Spirit for that revelation? What if I had “chickened out” and not taken the risk to give the message to this bicycle salesman?”
He might never have known that God loved him. He might never have known that God was there with him in his darkest days. He might never have known that God is still with him and still has a perfect plan for his life; and that God is “in his corner,” cheering him on.
I hate to think of how many times God sets us up to work with Him to transform the lives of people in moments like this … and we don’t respond. We don’t step up, and these people go on … missing out on those life-changing moments when the God of the Universe reaches out to let them know that He knows them, He loves them, and He is with them.
Will they never know His love … because of us? Because we chose not to respond?
Have we been sleeping through the harvest?
“But he who sleeps during harvest and ignores the moment of opportunity is a son who acts shamefully.”—Proverbs 10:5 (AMPC)
How many people are longing for an encounter with the living God, but day after day, they do not experience those life-changing encounters because we are not alert to the divine appointments that God has for us each day?
Will the harvest pass them by?
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”—Jeremiah 8:20 (KJV)