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.