Listening to His Voice

I heard God speak today. I'm not saying I felt a prompting from God. I'm not saying He moved my hand to do something. I'm saying I looked in the rear view mirror to see who was talking to me. I only saw my Dad sitting there. But I know it wasn't his voice. I know beyond a shadow of doubt it was God's voice.

His sign was much like this

We were on our next to the last stop of the day. We had been shopping at many different stores. I was tired. I was ready to get home. I was done shopping. As we pulled out of the Walmart parking lot, I saw him. A scraggly man with white hair and a beard. He was wearing faded camouflage pants and a dingy white sweatshirt. His face was long and drawn. His eyes seemed tired and empty. In his hands he held a beat-up cardboard sign with the words "Homeless and hungry. Please help."

I did the "normal" human thing. I let all the reasons why I couldn't help swim through my mind. I didn't have cash and wouldn't give him cash anyway. Someone else will help him. All the food I have in the trunk of the car is earmarked for meals. My family needs that food. Then I heard the most beautiful voice say, "There's a McDonald's right there on your left." I thought to myself, "No, I've already gone past the drive to get in there. Someone else will help him."

Then I heard the voice again. "You can turn at the next light and go in the back way." The words sounded like a suggestion. But the tone of the voice was most definitely a command. The words said, "You can." The tone said, "You WILL!" So, I turned at the next light and went into McDonald's the back way. I got in the drive thru line. I ordered a meal complete with fries and a drink. I headed back to Walmart.

There he was, sitting on the ground where he had been standing. He looked tired. He looked forgotten by society. He looked sad. I parked in a close-by parking spot and walked over to him. The joy in his eyes when I reached the bag of food and the cup of soda out to him will be forever etched in my memory. He said, "God bless you! God bless you! God bless you!"

Then the words, "Can I pray with you before I go?" came pouring out of my mouth. Those who know me well know how out of character that was for me. I don't pray out loud with people I know (besides my family) let alone complete strangers. But I know God spoke those words through me. It wasn't me. It wasn't my thoughts. But it's what God wanted. He gratefully agreed to allow me to pray with him.

I asked if he minded telling me his name. He introduced himself as Danny. Then, right there in the grassy area by the traffic light outside Walmart, I knelt beside Danny and prayed for him. I prayed that God would bless him in ways neither of us could ever imagine. I prayed that he would feel God's love in profound ways. I prayed that he would be protected and guarded. I prayed that he would feel blessed. And then we wished each other well.

As I got back in the car and headed down the road, the last words I heard from the backseat (besides my dad), were, "Thank you for doing as I asked." May I never be hesitant to follow God's leading.

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40

**Author's note: I usually blog on Thursdays. I didn't have anything to blog about. Nothing came to mind. God kept telling me He'd have something for me when He was ready. As I got down the road today, God said, "There's what you're supposed to blog about this week."