(By: Cheryl Newland) I had a God-incidence that left quite an impression on me. I was making dinner for my husband. At the time we lived in a second-floor apartment of a nice older home with a large front porch. It was a lovely summer evening, and I decided to sit on the porch awhile waiting for him to arrive from work and left my dinner baking in the oven.
A little elderly lady was walking by, and we spoke. I invited her to sit with me on the porch as she looked rather tired. She did and as we talked she commented several times on how wonderful my dinner smelled. Her name was Mary, and I began to think that Mary must be awfully hungry, so I asked her to stay for dinner, all the while wondering what my husband would think about a stranger being in our home.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind!
After dinner, Mary helped me clear the dishes and kept commenting on all my nice left overs. I got the hint so I asked her if she would like to take some home. She said yes so I packed them into a large plastic container and Mary left.
I was curious about Mary since all she had said was she lived nearby. I asked many people in the neighborhood, and no one had ever seen her. I continued to search for Mary but had no luck.
One day several weeks later, I came home to find my container washed and on my front porch. Again, no one had seen Mary.
In Hebrews 13:2 the Lord says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” I believe I was able to entertain an angel that night!
Copyright 2017
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As I peered out from behind the stage curtain, I saw that the War Memorial Performance Hall in Trenton, New Jersey, with its nearly two-thousand-seat capacity, was completely filled. On stage, numerous keynote speakers were already seated, waiting for the event to begin. I had been asked to speak on behalf of Chi Alpha and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship campus ministries while a student in college.
Over the years, as a musician, I have learned a lot about overcoming nerves as I gained confidence as a player, but in this instance, my stage fright was directly proportional to my lack of speaking skills, and I was just plain old SCARED.
I guess I felt the same way Moses did when he pleaded with the Lord to excuse him from his calling. “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I have never been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled” (Exodus 4 verse:10).
Yep, I was really having a bad time of it.
I desperately wished for a quick escape—much like a scene from Star Trek, where I could be transported to anywhere but where I was right now.
Beam me up, Scotty
As I anxiously waited behind the stage curtain, my knees practically knocking, I was approached by someone backstage.
Would you pray for me?” he asked.
I didn’t need to ask him what he needed prayer for, as one of his eyes was immensely swollen and shut tight.
He explained that he had been stung by a bee.
As I prayed for him, I was amazed to see the swelling around his eye completely vanish.
PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU
I was now pumped and couldn’t wait to step out on the stage. You see, I had never witnessed God’s healing power in such a direct and undeniable way before. The awe of witnessing this miracle was overwhelming, and in that instant, the fear of presenting in front of a large audience disappeared.
As I stepped out from behind the curtain, I felt a surge of energy go through me and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I was jumping within and, at the same time, completely at peace.
As I began to speak, I detoured from my planned presentation by telling the audience about God’s miraculous healing that had just taken place backstage.
My excitement was contagious. The audience rose to their feet, arms outstretched, cheering and clapping. In that moment, I almost forgot why I was there to speak in the first place. I was so caught up in sharing the story of how this person came to me and was healed, that I just kept going on and on.
Then, one of the keynote speakers caught my eye, tapping his wrist as if to say, “It’s time to get on with your presentation.”
I don’t believe that this incident was coincidental. Instead, I believe it was orchestrated. Such orchestration you may have heard referred to as a God thing, a God wink, a touch from heaven, or God-incidence.
In hindsight, I realized I never saw the stranger again. Where did he come from? What was he doing backstage? Why was he not in the audience? Could he have been an angel? Hebrews 13 verse 2 says, “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
There are many examples in the Bible where God sent an angel to deliver a message, to protect, or to serve someone in need. In that moment, I was the person in need. I believe that on this occasion, God sent an angel to minister to me in my distress, freeing me from the fear of speaking in front of a large audience.
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