Go...I am with you!

"Go ye therefore, [...] And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt 28:20)

“Look up!,” my classmate indicated to me as she was walking to her car. I immediately responded to her command by moving my eyes from ground-level and upwards. But, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting what my eyes were about to behold. Millions and millions of shiny little spots forming the magnificence of the starry night sky. Undoubtedly, such a small and simple, yet so meaningful detail in life.

I insist, I thank God for the things I lacked growing up. I’m convinced that going through such experience helped me become the person I am today—a broken human being who not only deeply cares for small details, but also someone who is extremely sensitive to the pain in others. And, these last weeks have been a tangible proof of that.

I remember perceiving the anxiety patterns in my friend so vividly that I simply couldn’t overlook the matter. Here and there, she was giving away hints of her distress. But, thankfully, I didn’t need to wait too long. A caring Savior orchestrated everything for her and I to end up being team partners in one of the activities at the training we were attending. Therefore, I gladly took the opportunity by the hand.

As we sat together in the empty room, I couldn’t help it but continue to notice her tensed movements, the uneasy train of thoughts, and her teary eyes. No matter what, she couldn’t deny her overwhelmed state of being, and it certainly was heartbreaking.

It was at that exact moment when the Lord stepped in, grabbed the steering wheel and changed the course of events slightly enough for her to be able to arrive at a “desired end” (Jer 29:11).

 “If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?”—I found myself uttering as she abruptly placed the papers over the table in front of us.

“What do you mean? Anywhere in the world?”—my friend thoughtfully inquired.

“Yes, anywhere” —I replied.

“Greece”—she finally answered.

“And…if you could choose a person with whom to go, who would that person be?” —I paused—“apart from your dad.”

I managed to finish my sentence, yes, but not without hearing a painful “I really miss my dad” coming out from her mouth mixed with the tears that were now streaming down her face.

After that, the Lord guided us into a conversation which included talking about a lot of painful situations that she has been dealing with for nearly twenty something years. Situations that have been terribly affecting her decisions to the point of reaching the overwhelming mountain top where she was standing  that particular day.

At the end of our interaction, we prayed and laid everything before the Throne of God (Heb 4:16); recognizing that the one able to help her is not only the same One that knows her from the beginning, but also the One who was tempted with the same overwhelming WHYs that were filling her mind and is now ready to intercede for her—Jesus Christ.

The final result—an overwhelmed human being relaxed and started to breathe easy again.

I praise God for His unrelenting love for each one of us. If it wasn’t because He sent me (photo) to a distant city and then placed my friend and I together in the same room, we wouldn’t have prayed about her situation. Isn’t that amazing? And...it all started with a question—“If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” Such a simple thing in life, yet so meaningful. 

Notwithstanding my own shortcomings, He came to the rescue of a soul in despair, and He used me—another sinful soul—in the process. It amazes me every time.

As the lyrics of “Bridges” by American Christian singer J.J. Heller appropriately sing:

“Come sit beside me

Tell me your story

Together we'll tear down our fences

And turn them into bridges.”

How many people around us have untold stories to share? 

How many of them are having their souls crashed because of overwhelming circumstances that simply need a "bridge" built out of a prayerful listening ear? 

How many of us are willing to accept the call (Mat 28:16-20) today and let Him be through us?

Will you?

Washtucna, WA