Thought and Prayer for the Day
by
Jacky Bramma
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
Many of the encounters we read about in the Bible seem at first glance to be mere coincidences, but we soon realize that they are anything but random. For instance, in Matthew’s gospel (4:18) we read that Jesus happened to be walking by the Sea of Galilee, when he saw two brothers, Simon and his brother Andrew. This turns out to be the calling of the first disciples, a momentous event of great significance.
John’s gospel gives an account of Jesus meeting a woman at the well in chapter 4. This seemingly chance meeting would have been culturally unacceptable, especially since she was a Samaritan and of dubious morals, and because a man and a woman did not usually meet alone. Their conversation results in the woman running to tell the people in her village, “Could this be the Christ?”, thus spreading the gospel.
In Acts 8, Philip is told by an angel to go from Jerusalem to Gaza, and on the way there he bumps into an Ethiopian eunuch who has parked his chariot and is trying to understand a passage from Isaiah. Not only does Philip explain the scripture, but he also tells him the good news about Jesus. The eunuch asks to be baptized and returns to his country ready to share the gospel.
I am sure that most of us have had experiences when something happens, apparently by chance, which is hard to explain. Many years ago, I was visiting Niagara Falls for the first time, when I literally bumped into the drama professor from my university town in the UK who had directed a play I had been in. We hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years, and neither of us knew that the other would be there. Of all the millions of tourists there each year, what are the chances that our paths would cross at that exact moment? Added to this, was the fun fact that this prof had also taken the lead in an old show called Kismet, from the Arabic word for fate or destiny!
Such happenings could be called serendipity …the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. (I am a word nerd, and recently discovered that this word was coined in 1754 from a Sri Lankan fairy tale called ‘The Three Princes of Serendip.’) Such events are usually a source of fun and amazement, but not of great importance. However, I have also come to realize that God plays a part in many such encounters. There are times when he places people in our path, either to be a comfort to us at a time of need, or for us to be a blessing to someone else.
One such occurrence was when my husband was going in for his first radiation session, shortly before he died. As he went in to the treatment room, I sat in the waiting area and a woman came out. She was beaming and told me she had just completed her course of treatment. Then she looked at me and asked me if she could pray with me. It turned out she was a minister in the Pentecostal Church. We prayed, and my anxiety eased. This complete stranger was a blessing to me just when I needed it.
The summer after Peter died, I went on a hiking holiday in the Channel Islands with a group from the hiking club. After our time together was over, I stayed on in the UK to visit friends, which meant I would be flying home alone…another “first” in my newly single situation. I had a few hours to wait at Gatwick airport before my flight back to Canada, and I was feeling rather low. That was when I noticed the chapel. There would be a service there in a few minutes! I went in and found one other attendee, a young man. As we waited, we started talking as if we were old friends. He was travelling for work and missing his wife, and I was certainly missing my husband. The service, led by a Salvation Army officer, was short but uplifting. When it was over, our conversation continued and we shared how we had come to faith and what a blessing it was to know Jesus. Soon it was time to head to our respective gates and we parted ways. I don’t remember his name, but I do know that our meeting was more than mere serendipity, and my journey home was no longer a burden.
A couple of summers later I was flying from Toronto to visit my sister in Vancouver. I had settled into my seat, ready for the five-hour flight. In those pre cell phone days the usual pastime was reading or sleeping. I sat next to a woman who was about my age and I couldn’t help but notice the book she had in her bag. It was The Shack by William Paul Young. By “coincidence” we had just read it in a study group at All Saints’. We started talking about the book and about our faith. Before I knew it, five hours had gone by, and we were being told to prepare for landing. It was the shortest flight I have ever been on, before or since! I still have the little angel pin she gave me. We would never see each other again, but for me it was yet another instance of God caring for me. I also realize that talking about my faith is often easier with a stranger than someone close to me who is not yet a believer.
I hope there have also been times when I have been the one on the giving side of meetings with a stranger. I have found that small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to another person, and I try to look for opportunities. Sometimes it is simply a matter of smiling or exchanging a few words. I think of a young fellow outside the Dollar Store who was shyly asking for money. I asked his name and if he was having a hard time. He told me he had lost his job and was hungry. I told him about our food bank, and was delighted to see him there the next day, looking much less stressed.
Sadly, in our deeply divided world, strangers are so often viewed with suspicion, but we cannot live our lives in fear. To quote Mother Teresa, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” I thank God for giving us the opportunity to help and be helped by strangers.
Prayer of Count Zinzendorf
Lord, when my eye confronts my heart, and I realize that you have filled my heart with your love, I am breathless with amazement. Once my heart was so small in its vision, so narrow in its compassion, so weak in its zeal for truth. Then you chose to enter my heart, and now in my heart I can see you. I can love all your people, and I have the courage to proclaim the truth of your gospel to anyone and everyone. Like wax before a fire, my heart has melted under the heat of your love.
Amen
