I wanted to write a quick post just to tell a story of something that God did last night. Among some of the guys that I hang out with where I live, there's a guy that God had really been laying on my heart for the past few weeks. For sake of this discussion, we'll call him Joe (creativity never really was my strong suit). During those few weeks, I had been trying to get in touch with him while praying that God would give me a good opportunity to witness. Last night, a bunch of us guys met at the bowling alley and this young man was there. I was sitting at a table with him, looking for a chance to talk to him, but there were two other guys at the table, and it just wasn't the right time. We were talking, and at some point in the conversation, Joe got up and said he was going to go grab his stuff that he had left at another table. I grabbed my Bible and followed him. I asked him if he knew what would happen to him if he died that night. He said he would probably go to Heaven because he had led a good life. I asked him if he were wrong, would he want to know and he said yes. So we sat down at a table and I opened my Bible.
At this point, God showed that his plans were different than mine. One of the other guys whom we will call Mike came over and sat down with us. I had just met Mike a few minutes before; I had no idea what to do. The only thing going through my mind at the time was that it was the worst thing that could have happened. Not sure what to do and not wanting to miss the opportunity to witness to Joe, I asked Mike the same question. Then God revealed His plan. Mike said he would probably go to Hell. I asked him if that bothered him and he said "Yeah, it really does." I had the opportunity to witness to both Joe and Mike. They both acknowledged their sin and expressed a desire to be saved.
I don't know if either of these young men truly got saved. The Bible says in Romans 10:9 "that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt beleive in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Neither Mike nor Joe prayed at that moment; they said they would rather do it later at home. But I do know that God's Word does not return void, they both came to grips with their sin, and they both professed a belief that the gospel is true. I can only hope and pray that they truly gave their lives to Christ at that moment or at a later one.
I learned something very important last night. God's plans are not mine, and His are far better. In my planning to witness to Joe, Mike did not enter the equation at any point. When Mike joined, I thought it was over. Joe would not listen with another guy there and it would just be an awkward exchange. But, contrary to my plans, Mike heard the truth and, at least on the surface, even seemed to take it to heart more than Joe did. Especially in this area of evangelism, God has plans that far exceed our own. Around the corner may be another soul that you had no intention of reaching, yet God is still seeking and saving those who are lost in ways we probably would never have imagined.
