Knock And... Dinner

So I got home, and was ready to crash for a while when there was a knock at my door no more than five minutes later. Now Rebekah and I were housemates. She had a studio "apartment" behind our landlord's garage and I had a room up on the second floor on the opposite side of the house. I'm guessing she heard me enter the house, waited just a few minutes, then came upstairs to knock on my door.

I have learned increasingly over the last few years that God is in control. Not sometimes, but always. I learned recently that when you pray using Scripture as an example for God in your prayer, it becomes even more powerful. Unknowingly, I asked just as Isaac's servant did when searching for the wife for Jacob. I firmly believe that there is no such thing as coincidence, but it's God's Hand at work, and His Hand was definitely at work here. How does anyone explain answered prayer like this? I prayed that if He wanted me to tell Rebekah that I loved her, that she would come up to my room when I got home and ask me if I wanted to go out to dinner. And that's exactly what happened!

So we went off to a restaurant just a couple of miles from the house in her car. On the way we were making small talk, but in the back of my mind I was trying to figure out when and where I would tell her. We got there and dinner was brought to our table. The small talk continued as we ate. There was a break in the conversation, so I told her about the prayer I had made earlier in the day and all the sightings I had. All the while, she listened but continued to eat her dinner with her head slightly down. Did she know what was coming? Was the Spirit clueing her in?

The moment arrived. A peace came over me as the nervousness subsided. I told Rebekah about my final prayer that afternoon and what God had prepared for me. Then the words came out gently, "I love you."

The restaurant was full, but you could have heard a pin drop. Rebekah turned the brightest red that I had ever seen anyone become. She didn't say a word. She continued to eat. Now what? Do I say something or just be quiet and let her say the first words? After what seemed an eternity, she continued the conversation we were having beforehand like nothing had ever happened.

Okay. Now we're just going to politely finish dinner before we walk out and she takes off without me. It was a nice evening out and it would be a nice two mile walk home. I could use the exercise, right? Well, no. We walked out to her car and she automatically unlocked the door for me. Instead of taking off without me, we both climbed into her car and went back to the house. What was going on in her mind? Did she erase that moment in time from her brain? It was like that brief moment had never happened. We got home and talked about getting together again in a few days.

... to be continued.

The Beginning

Have you ever had one of those days where you're hearing God AND you're listening? Last Sunday was one of those days for me. It was a day that is taking me on an impossible journey. God used our church's worship pastor to challenge me. God asked me to pray for the impossible to happen and the first thing that came to mind was the relationship that I wanted reconciled with Rebekah (not her real name). And not just reconciled, but the prayer to be fulfilled of us being man and wife.

I know many people will call me nuts. How can I expect anything like that to happen? She hasn't spoken to me in three years. I've reached out to her and there's been no response or acknowledgement. People will say the relationship is dead. They will say that what I want to happen is just impossible. Exactly!

Rebekah and I were housemates and had been doing things together for several years when one day I asked God that if He wanted us to be together romantically, He would show me white Saturn cars while I was out and about. Although this may seem foolish, it is biblically sound. Abraham's trusted servant prayed a similar prayer when he was sent to search for a wife for Isaac. He prayed for a specific thing to be said and a specific action to be taken by the woman that God intended to be Isaac's wife.

I spent the day traveling by bus to run errands in different parts of the county that I live in. Every time that I got off the bus, you guessed it, I saw a white Saturn. I was so amazed every time that it happened, I must have had a grin stretching from ear to ear. My faith was weak, though, and I had to ask for one more thing. Before my last connection to get home arrived, I prayed that if God wanted me to tell Rebekah that I loved her, He would have her come to my door and ask me if I would like to go out to dinner.

I got home and started to unwind, when no more than five minutes later there was a knock on my door. If you're a hopelessly sentimental romantic like me, you know what happened next. I went and opened the door and there she was. If you're wondering if she asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner, well, YES!

What happened at dinner is for another time, but what you must know is that God has continued to show me white Saturns to this very day, and more specifically like the car she drove at the time.