✈️ First-Class Encounter
A Divine Appointment on a Flight to San Diego
Years ago, I was on my way to San Diego. As I was sitting in the terminal at LAX waiting for my connecting flight, a young lady came over and sat down near me. Suddenly, I felt like I was supposed to tell her, "You really have nice-looking jeans."
But I said to myself, "No way! I'm not going to tell a woman that she's wearing a nice pair of jeans. My wife's not here. This means trouble! That's not God. Get behind me, Satan!" I dismissed the thought and continued working on a project on my computer. About five minutes later, my name was called on the loudspeaker: "Mike Robertson, please come to the podium."
I approached the desk, and the attendant told me, "Mr. Robertson, we're changing your seat."
"Oh, really," I replied.
"Yes, we're moving you up to first class."
I stammered, "But… there must be some mistake. I didn't pay for that."
He smiled and said, "We need to shift the weight on the plane. We need more weight up front."
I must have looked amazed because he then explained, "Sir, don't worry. It's not going to cost you anything."
I felt relieved. "Well, if it won't cost me anything, I'll go to the front any day."
A few minutes later, we boarded the plane. I put my bag in the overhead bin and sat in seat number four. Guess who was in the seat next to me? The girl with the jeans! I almost laughed as I prayed silently, "Lord, you're playing with me!"
Then the Lord prodded me, "I want you to ask her about her favorite restaurant in San Diego."
I was more comfortable talking about restaurants than women's jeans, but I still had reservations. I prayed, "Lord, the girl can't be twenty years old. What does she know about restaurants? And besides, she's as skinny as a rail. I bet she doesn't even eat! I know San Diego like the back of my hand. I don't need her advice."
The Lord said again, "Ask her."
I looked over at the girl next to me and said, "Hey, do you know of any good restaurants in San Diego?"
Her face beamed as she said, "Oh, I sure do!" She began to describe her favorite hamburger joint.
I smiled and nodded, "That's cool." It wasn't exactly a report of five-star restaurants in the city, but I was sure God wasn't interested in hamburgers.
She wouldn't stop talking. She was nervous about flying, and her anxiety spilled out in a torrent of words. She was going ninety miles an hour. I nodded, but I had no opening to say a word. I began to think, "I can shut this down fast. I'll ask her if she knows Jesus. That question stops most conversations."
I said, "Let me interrupt you for a second. I want to ask you a question. Do you know the Lord?"
Her face beamed. "Do I know the Lord?"
She began to preach me a sermon—a very long sermon!
Thankfully, it was a short flight. Before we landed, God nudged me again to ask her another question. It wasn't part of the topic of our conversation, but who was I to argue with God at this point? I asked her, "Why aren't you following Christ in the ministry?"
She looked stunned. From the look on her face, I could tell this question wasn't out of the blue. She had been wrestling with it for some time. She knew she was supposed to be in the ministry but was headed in another direction. God used me to talk to her about her resistance.
Earlier in the conversation, she had told me she was moving to Southern California. As our talk was winding down, I asked her if she had decided on a city where she planned to live. She said she was moving to Oceanside. She asked if I knew of any good churches there. I had planted a church there, so I gave her the church's address and phone number.
As I looked back on that series of promptings, I was initially resistant to the Lord's nudge. I fought it, explained it away, and tried to ignore it. But God was very patient and persistent. He didn't quit on me. Finally, I got the point and initiated a wonderful conversation with a young woman I'd never seen. If God Himself had shown up that day in the terminal as we waited for the flight, we would have fainted! But God had a different plan, a delivery system to communicate His message: me.
Like the disciples in the gospels, I'm slow to hear, learn, and respond. For that reason, I pray daily that my spiritual ears will be able to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to my spirit, that my eyes will be open to see what the Holy Spirit already sees, and that God will give me a heart to discern what God wants me to do.
Takeaways:
God often uses us to minister to others in unexpected ways. By being sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we can be instruments of God's love and guidance in the lives of those around us, even if they are complete strangers.
Resistance to God's promptings is natural, but it's important to learn to overcome it.
Prayer is essential to developing a heart that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit. By cultivating this sensitivity, we can become more effective in our ministry to others.
Thanks for reading!
[Excerpted from The God Nudge: Learning To Flow In The Supernatural.]