God Is So Cool

Reconnecting with folks from our past can be such a blessing. Last night my wife and I had a dinner/meeting to attend in Peoria with other pastors on our region. When one of the pastors came in, he had a guest with him. As soon as a I saw him, I knew that this was someone I had known in my past but had not seen in years. I finally got the chance to ask him, and sure enough, it was who I thought it was. I had not seen him since 1986 or 87, and we were not "close" at all back then, so I was not surprised that he did not remember me until we began talking. Actually, I knew his parents far better than I knew him, and I am about 7 or 8 years older than him. I won't go into detail about it, but when I last saw him, this man was going through a lonely and dark place in his life... and for the last 25 years I have found myself thinking about him, talking about him and praying for him... wondering what had become of him and hoping he had come out on top. Last night, the Lord allowed me to connect the dots... not only for me, but I believe for this man as well. We had a couple of hours to just sit and talk, sharing openly about things we had struggled with and how God had brought us not only through... but victoriously!  It meant so much to me to know that this man had righted his ship, and God allowed me to put the questions that had nagged and haunted me for 25 years to rest. He reassured me once again of His faithfulness. The Bible says that God is married to the backslider. In other words, he does not give up nor turn His back. Once again, He proved His Word to my heart.  I'm so glad to have reconnected and hope we can stay connected... but even if we don't, there is a new found peace... because God orchestrated a "change" meeting of two people who lived thousands of miles apart in a restaurant in a town that neither of us live in.  That's just so cool.  Thank yo Lord, for your faithfulness and caring.