When God Showed Up in Publix

“Call to me, and I will answer you,
and will show you great and hidden things,
which you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3 (NHEV)

            I’m still learning to sense God’s presence. For most of my life, it wasn’t something I knew was possible. God was someone distant, who lived “up there.” And he was very busy. I was living “down here,” and busy with that. But as years progressed, I developed an odd and overwhelming desire to know God, to find Him.

            Evidently, He was more aware of that than I knew.

            Long before Internet memes were popular, refrigerator magnets were often the source of wisdom. One that was particularly meaningful to me stated THE LESSONS I NEED TO LEARN IN LIFE SEEM TO FIND ME.

          But when I realized my deep need to find God, to hear from Him, it wasn’t lessons that found me, but blogs and books and articles about the Bible and prayer and God’s presence. Not quite the “quail-storm” from in Exodus 16:13 and Numbers 11:3, but these things were too often and too timely to be pure coincidence. I wasn’t hearing from God—I wouldn’t call it that, yet. It was more that I was being guided—okay, shoved—in His direction by His Spirit.

            I’ve been amazed not only that much of what I sought was found for free on the Internet or through free Bible phone apps, but that those books I did pay for were almost always discounted—sometimes only for that day or that week.

            THE BATTLE PLAN FOR PRAYER is one such gift from the Lord. I was pushing my shopping cart through Publix a few months ago when there was a large, somewhat ugly box sitting in the middle of the aisle near the sushi counter. It was full of books with a sign stating “Discounted.” Right on top in the middle of the mess was a brown paperback THE BATTLE PLAN FOR PRAYER. It was written by the Kendrick brothers, who created the movie WAR ROOM. I’d just been watching trailers for the movie and reading up on the story. It was the sole copy in the entire bin.        

          My brain said: You have a stack of books you haven’t read yet. You have cat food to buy. I pushed my cart forward about five steps and stopped.

            A nudge—I don’t hear His voice even yet—felt as if it stated: Go back and get the book. It was put there for you.

            I grabbed my discounted, half-price book and praised the Lord all the way to the check-out line.

            God is good. And the lessons he wants me to learn always find me. Even in the sushi aisle in Publix.  Linnea Sinclair Bernadino