Always By Your Side
By: Christine Carter
"I really don't feel like doing this today," I thought to myself as we drove down the freeway to territory. This was literature evangelism. This was going door-to-door, not just for the scholarship that the program offered, but also to spread the Truth and the Life to others. And up until now, I had felt so on fire for God. But today, my feet were sore, and my eyes wanted to close, and, on a purely human level, I really did not want to knock on any more doors. At least, not right then. But praise God, because He gives us the strength to move on, especially when His name is at stake. And so today, I'd like to share a story of encouragement, one that shows just how much God will do not only to lead and carry us when we are feeling down, but also to lead us to those who are searching for Him. Faith is not a feeling, and God can use even the weak to bring power to His name (2 Corinthians 12:9):
When we arrived at territory, my program head dropped me and another friend off at a series of apartment buildings, interspersed with houses here and there. My friend and I prayed before beginning, and, in my heart, I told God how much I didn't want to do this, but because I had little choice, I might as well give it a try and see what He would do. God was about to show me just how much He cared about His work. At the very first door, the family took two books and a DVD! Because it usually takes a good couple of doors before anyone may even seem interested in the materials, I was quite surprised, and my mood began to lift. Then God gave me an experience that I will never forget. I was still working in the same cul-de-sac area, this time heading up to the second floor of an apartment complex. A gate was spread out across the entry way, and as I attempted to move it, a middle-age woman came out to greet me. I was half-expecting words of annoyance or anger, but instead, the woman smiled and actually helped me to move the gate before inviting me to sit with her on the lawn chairs in front of her apartment.
I noticed a Bible in her hand, and I began to tell her about what I was doing and a little about the Christian books that I had. Her face immediately lit up! She told me how she had just finished watching a program on the History Channel concerning Nostradamus, and how she was just about to sit down to read her Bible. She had been working her way through the Old Testament, and was currently in Zechariah. Although she had grown up with a religious background, she was not sure what to believe any more, and was interested in what other faiths taught.
She looked through my entire book set as, at the same time, she repeatedly asked aloud, "Why me, why my apartment, why now -- at this time...I can't believe it."
Her questions made me realize how much of a divine appointment this had been. Here was a woman who was searching for God. Here was a woman who was thirsting after the life that He offered, but who did not know how to find it. And God sent me, who had just an hour earlier been so unwilling to work, to find her and help guide her along the way. At the end of our conversation, the woman not only took two books concerning the life of Christ and the Christian walk, but she registered for Bible studies as well! As I walked down the stairs to the next set of apartments, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. God is truly amazing. Someday in heaven, I look forward to seeing the same woman again and hearing the rest of her story. Praise God for His goodness, mercy, and love in spite of our weakness.
Whatever you are going through, know that God is always by your side. Sometimes, we can't feel His presence and all we want to do is stay home and sleep. But God is with us, and He will use us in ways that we cannot even imagine while at the same time proving to us His goodness and His personal care for each and every one of us.
[...] be content with such things as you have, for He has said, "Not at all will I leave you, not at all will I forsake you, never!" (Hebrews 13:5, NKJV).
