My great-aunt JoJo, who is 92 years young, needed someone to fly with her- to help ensure that she was safe and taken care of. Originally, my brother was supposed to travel with her. I was not even going to go on this trip, but plans changed, and I ended up having the privilege of flying to/from NC with her. On our very last plane as we headed home, our flight had been delayed 1 hour, so JoJo needed some food. While I was waiting in line to get her some dinner, I prayed for God to use me to speak words of affirmation to whomever was sitting next to me on the plane- just like Peter did in "Day 2" of The 40 Day Prayer Challenge. Side Note: Out of the 3 seating options: aisle, middle, and window, guess which one I got on BOTH the flights involving Memphis and Charlotte. That's right- the middle! YUCK! After having a claustrophobic experience with a "middle seat" assignment on one of my 9-hour flights to Africa last year, I was not very enthusiastic when I saw "MIDDLE" on either flight. After boarding the plane, I sat in between two ladies who were around the same age as me. Smiling brightly at the possibilities, I sat down and made small-talk with both. The lady who was sitting next to the window didn't really seem like she wanted to talk much, and the lady with the "aisle" seat was reading a book. I follow her lead, as I got out my book, In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, that I was almost finished reading and had been talking about all week to my family, as I read it daily on the beach. Batterson encouraged his readers to seize God-ordained opportunities just like Benaiah did in 2 Samuel 23:20+21. I finished the book and began to go back to the parts that I underlined within my book and write out some key words that would help me remember what each chapter was about. When doing so, the lady who was sitting next to the window that had been trying to take a nap asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what book are you reading?" My eyes lit up! I had told every single person in my family at the beach about this book MULTIPLE times all week long! (Actually, I think a few were getting a little annoyed because I couldn't stop talking about it.) I excitedly told her how Benaiah was a "lion chaser" who seize a God-ordained opportunity that catapulted his greatest career opportunity-- a body guard for David, the King of Israel. I then told her that God can use what seems like a "bad break", trial/tribulation, and/or obstacle that seems to get in the way of our life pursuits to launch us to bigger and better things that God has up His holy sleeve. Then, HER eyes lit up! She said that she had been closing her eyes to rest, but something (or someone) made her eyes feel weird, so she opened them and immediately looked down at my book. She told me that the words she saw when she opened her eyes were very similar to the book that she pulled out of her bag, Experiencing God's Presence by Matthew Henry. Both of us were like two giddy school girls as we continued the conversation by discussing God's power and omnipotence. She told me several times that God had placed me next to her on that plane for a reason that she wasn't aware of just yet, but it was the best conversation that she had had over the entire week of a discouraging business trip, in which she felt God continuously telling her all week that she has 2 ears for a reason, 2 eyes for a reason, and 1 mouth for a reason- to listen, see, and be quiet, as God was in the process of revealing Himself to her. I told her that I SPECIFICALLY prayed for God to use me to "speak life" over the person who was sitting next to me on the plane. I was and still am in complete awe of my Heavenly Father! 1- I wasn't even going to go on this trip, but I prayed for God to grant me wisdom and discernment in knowing if I should go or not. 2- My great aunt and brother's tickets were purchased at the same time, so their seat assignments were next to each other. Once plans changed, we were unable to simply switch his name on the ticket to my name, which resulted in different seating assignments. 3- I specifically prayed for God to use me to encourage someone sitting next to me on the plane so that words of affirmation would fall upon whomever He knew needed it the most. I felt Him telling me that He would use one of my books to do so. I had 3 Christian books and my Bible. Naturally, I thought that God would want me to read the Bible while on the plane, but I felt led to put my Bible and 1 of my other books in my carry-on that was stored in the overhead storage area. So I had my other 2 books and my composition notebook out with me for the flight. I decided to just finish up In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day because I only had one chapter left to read. As I looked back at day 2 of The 40 Day Prayer Challenge to refresh my memory on this story that inspired me to pray this prayer, God used the exact same book to prompt Peter to speak to the girl who was sitting next to him on the plane. 4- I told her that one year ago that very day (July 10), I was on a plane to Kenya, and I had sent my mission team this exact devotional/prayer prior to the trip. My prayer was for us to keep in mind that God could use us anywhere at anytime-- even at the airport or on the airplane-- to accomplish His purpose for one of us to go on this trip. My prayer WAS answered... exactly one year later!
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