A number of customers were traversing
the garden department at Home Depot; after a string of hot and humid days there
was a break in heat and humidity and people were taking advantage of the relief
to catch up on outside projects.
As Lemuel negotiated his way
through the aisles of the open-air department he noticed that there was only
one cashier on the busy day. He thought, “I wonder why no one scheduled an
additional cashier on a Saturday when you would expect more business from
homeowners? People are out buying plants and landscaping supplies – this is a
weekend for outdoor projects – look at the line of people to check out.”
After loading eight bags of
pea gravel onto a dolly Lemuel pushed the dolly to the end of the line and
waited. Soon another customer pushed a dolly laden with material behind Lemuel.
Lemuel looked at the man and said, “It sure is great weather.”
“Yes,” the man replied, “This
is a welcome change from what we’ve been having.”
The two exchanged more pleasantries
before Lemuel reached the cashier. As Lemuel was leaving the cashier’s counter
he turned to the man and said, “Good talking with you, have a great day.”
“You too,” the customer
replied.
Out in the parking lot, as
Lemuel was loading the bags of pea gravel into his pickup truck he noticed the
other customer pushing his dolly to a pickup truck parked facing him just a
couple of spaces away. Lemuel thought, “Should I speak to him again. Should I
ask him if I can pray for him? I’ve been gone too long and want to get home. I
spent more time at the bank than I intended. I have things to do. I’m tired and
don’t feel like asking him if I can pray for him – there is always a risk of
rejection involved and I don’t feel up to the risk.”
As Lemuel sat in his truck
with the window down he said to the man, “It looks like you have one of the
last Ford Rangers made before they stopped production.” The man told Lemuel the
year of the truck and made a few other comments about it. Lemuel thought, “Ok,
I’ve had some more conversation with him, let me go now.” But knowing that he
had a sense that he needed to continue the conversation he said to the man, “I’d
like to ask you something that maybe you don’t get asked a lot. I like praying
for people and I’d like to know if you have something that I can pray for, for
you or your family.”
What that the man came over to
Lemuel and shared a need in his family. The two talked for a while longer, they
introduced themselves, and Darryl asked Lemuel if Lemuel had something that
Darryl could pray for and Lemuel shared a prayer need with him.
It was a Divine appointment
and Lemuel has continued to pray for the need Darryl shared, continued to
ponder some of the things they talked about, and also has continued to reflect
on the fact that if he had not waited at the bank that he would have missed
Darryl and that if there had been
more cashiers at Home Depot that he may have missed Darryl.
Had Lemuel become angry at the
wait at the bank he may have not been sensitive to the Divine appointment at
Home Depot. If Lemuel had been impatient at Home Depot, due to there only being
one cashier, he may have missed the Divine appointment. If Lemuel had not
surrendered his wait at the bank to God his soul may not have been quiet enough
to sense the nudge of the Holy Spirit toward Darryl. Stormy souls are souls
that cannot hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit over and above its selfish
turmoil – Lemuel knows this from experience. But of course this was all about
God and about God enabling Lemuel to wait, to be patient, to ponder, to risk,
and to realize that all time and space is God’s – including the time and space
in which we wait.
We wait so that we can
respond.
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