Listening
“Seek His face continually.” (Psalm 105:4b, New American Standard Bible)
I wanted a couple new hand towels for the guest bathroom. Family was staying with us while they waited to close on their new home. The towels I originally bought (not the best to begin with) were starting to show their age. And somehow there always seems to be a lot of water on freshly washed little hands!
I set out for my favorite home goods store (good quality at reasonable prices). After searching through the towels for a color that would work well in my bathroom I headed for the cashier. I stopped. It occurred to me that I hadn’t asked the Lord if He wanted me to buy these towels. “Lord, is this okay?” To my chagrin, I felt a catch in my spirit. Either these weren’t the right towels, this wasn’t the place or I wasn’t supposed to be buying towels at all! I left the store and headed for my next errand: supermarket shopping.
Pulling into the parking lot I saw the department store next door. “Lord…?” Nope. I completed my shopping at the grocery store, but there was one thing I wanted they didn’t have. I set out for another store, one I hadn’t intended to shop that day. Hmmm…. The store next door sells towels. I didn’t ask but I also didn’t sense a catch in my spirit.
Through the door, the first thing I noticed was the jewelry counter. For months I had been looking for a low-cost, everyday watch. (I’m old; I’d rather turn my wrist than dig out my cell phone to check the time.) The first watches I saw were rather fancy and certainly didn’t meet my low-cost, everyday watch criteria. The saleswoman approached, I told her what I wanted. In an adjacent display case, she pointed out timepieces on clearance. There it was: a simple, everyday, low-cost watch.
Feeling upbeat and thankful that I had listened to His leading, I went to the linens department and found the towels I sought. On the way to check-out, I cut down an aisle… it happened to be the aisle with windbreakers. I had needed a windbreaker for YEARS. Looking through the rack, I found a very reasonably priced jacket. I checked with the Lord; a third “yes.”
Thank You, Father, for helping me choose obedience. Had I purchased towels from the first store I would have missed out on the watch and the windbreaker, two things I’d wanted for some time. Thank You for Your care and faithful guidance in the little things (as well as the big ones). Thank You for blessing obedience.
