Last
Saturday, as I was watching college football, I got this impression to go to
the used book store in Chattanooga. It was not a notion to drop what I was
doing and go there immediately kind of feeling. I thought to myself; “I will go
there tomorrow after lunch if nothing was pressing.”
Sunday
rolled around, and the Holy Spirit impressed on me to go to Chattanooga at this
used book store and purchase a copy of Living by the Book, The Art and Science
of Reading the Bible, by Howard and William Hendricks that afternoon. I had a dog in this hunt, and the Lord knew it right well; I had
been wanting to go to this store anyway to see if I could find a particular
author on Paul’s epistles.
I
didn’t ask the Lord if this book would be in stock because I knew that if He
was sending me for a specific book that it would be there, yes? Jesus knew that
I knew that finding a certain book in a used book store was a hit and miss
proposition, but it is not a hit and miss with Him who is all-knowing, yes? The Lord
also knew who was selling this book to the used book store and the timing involved
in putting it on the shelf for sale. That particular book, unknown to the
seller, was already assigned by Yahweh to my friend. The blessings keep coming
in for the authors being obedient to God for writing it!
I
saw this book in this used book store the last time I was in there about three
or four weeks ago, but I was not being led to purchase it as a gift at that
time. This book was to be given to a friend who was getting back to the
priority of doing the will of God for His life. So off to Chattanooga, I went.
Beverly
stayed behind cooking a meal for a friend who had Covid. When I got down to the
store it was raining cats and dogs! The store was busy as usual. There was a parking spot right by the front of the store with an awning close by. The Lord was paving the way! I thanked the Lord and hopped quickly out of my car
into the rain and ran under the awning. Once in the store, I got myself a buggy
and headed back to the Bible section.
I
came upon a lady taking books out of this bin on wheels and placing them on
the shelves. I asked her if these books in the cart were available before she put
them in stock. She said, “Yes.” I told her that she must be some kind of genius
to know where to put all of these various books in rapid fashion! She smiled. I
continued, “I have a challenge just knowing where to put my books in my
personal library and remembering where they are located!”
She
smiled again and asked if she could be of help in finding anything. I replied with a certain amount of incredulity,
“Actually, I do!” I told her I was looking for a book by Howard and William
Hendricks entitled, Living by the Book. She immediately said, “It is
three shelves down on the bottom.” I said, “You are kidding me, right? How can
you possibly know the precise location of this book?” She said, “I just put it
there just before you walked up.” Sure enough, I got my hands on it; the first primary mission was accomplished! “Lord, forgive me for the slightest trace of doubt!”
I
asked this lady for her name because I wanted to lift her up to the throne of
grace, and she said, “Vicki.” I told her that the Lord sent me over here to
pick this book up for a friend who doesn’t know that the Lord wants for him to
read it! And I discovered that you just so happened to place the only copy in the
house on the shelf moments before talking to you! She said, “It was a
God-thing!”
I
thanked her for her help and kindness and continued on with the secondary objective with a spring in my step! When I am on a mission of finding the hidden treasures among the books, I prefer to
go solo to the used book store so as not to be rushed or pressured in going as
I sniff through all the books; it’s a nerd thing. I have given many books away
over the years, and I love my digital library, but there are some books that will never be digitalized until they are no more. Another blessing that Sunday was that I found four of the seven books that
I was looking for, three more to go! I do not question it after today, that the Lord will
allow me to get my hands on those three books! It’s a timing thing, a God thing!
On
the way home, the rain was still pouring down, and the wipers were working overtime. Since my friend was not at home, I decided to call his wife about coming by and dropping the book off at their house. She was not at home at the time. So, I explained to her what I had done in purchasing a book for
her husband. Since Jesus was in this gift, I stressed to her that I am not suggesting by the title of this
book that her husband doesn’t know how to live by the Bible. All I was doing,
having read it a long time ago, was offering interpretational help of Scripture
and application. She suggested that I leave the book on the front porch bench
for she would be home shortly which I did.
Today,
I told my friend about Jesus leading me to purchase this book for him. After
hearing the story, he admitted that the story gave him chills. He thanked me and promised to read this
book. Who would have thought, yes? Who would have thought that a mere impression would transform into the Divine will! Had not the Creator of the Universe
more important things to concern Himself with than getting a book by men into
the hands of one of His children?
The
question seems unfitting in light of the eternal, immutable majesty of His Person, but God is not only involved in the biggest of details in our lives; He is also interested in the smallest of things! He loves us. In His omnipotence, He’s got the ability to make His will happen; in His omniscience,
He’s got the know-how to make His will happen; in His omnipresence, we have the guarantee of His presence in our lives to assure us that He is personally invested and involved in our lives! Are we picking up on that? He is sovereign and sufficient for all things! We just got to trust Him as we live out the faith on the road of life.
And
you know as well as I do that there is so much more Yahweh brings to the table
concerning His will for us (cf. Jer 29:11, good for Israel, good for us?)! Blessed to bless (B2B) was merely an impression
that became a reality, moving beyond being blessed to being a blessing to others. A merely impressionable moment should not be so easily dismissed by us; God may be in the simplest of things as I was reminded Sunday. If we brush it off like a gnat, we may just rob
ourselves of being blessed by being a blessing to others! <><
Oh, Yahweh! My heart flutters at the thought of who You are! You,
who has no origin nor end, stoke the fire of fear within my soul of failure to obey Your will, and yet, You also provide me with the confidence of Your love for me to be so
bold as to refer to You, the Highest and Holy God, as Abba, Father! Your
holiness scares me to the utmost degree; I cannot deny it! I feel so unworthy in light of Your unimaginable purity that defies human comprehension within my sinful frame.
Your love (agape) for me (Rom 5:8; 1 Jn 4:10) demands my utmost efforts (Jn 14:15; 1 Cor 10:31; Col 3:17, 23; 2 Jn 1:6), but apart from Your Holy Spirit, I know that I cannot be pleasing in Your sight (Jn 15:5; Gal 5:16; Eph 5:18); it is futile to think or try. Thank you for loving on this saint through me, to be a blessing to others, even in the seemingly insignificant of ways. I pray that we are more inclined as believers to take being blessed by You in our obedience to Your will and to pass that blessing on to others by giving You the glory in living by the Book. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
