An Unexpected Encounter
This is an interesting story that I want to share. A couple of weeks ago I was just leaving my house to hang out with a friend of mine. It was about 9:30pm. I decided to go the back way to my friend’s house because it runs by a Starbucks and I wanted a drink.
On my way out of my neighborhood I realized that I was 10 miles or so OVER having an empty gas tank. I started to pray that God would help me get to a gas station. It wasn’t too long after that my car began to sputter a little and then it gave up completely.
I coasted for a couple of blocks and came to a stop. I looked to my left and there was a gas station just over the median. I thanked God and then pumped some gas into my five gallon gas tank and took it back to my car. I put enough to get me across the street and after a couple of minutes; I was pumping gas into my car from the pump.
As I was pumping I happened to look up and there, sitting on the gas pump, was somebody’s wallet. I picked it up and looked at it closer. There was plenty of cash inside with just about everything they tell you never to carry in your wallet like account numbers etc. I just knew whoever left it there was going crazy looking for it.
I finished filling my gas tank and thought I would check inside in case anyone had stopped by to ask about it. The attendants told me nobody had asked. They asked to see the ID just in case they recognized him and they said they didn’t.
At this point I am starting to understand what God was orchestrating this whole night to be. I sensed that God wanted me to go get my friend before I took the wallet back so 10 minutes later I arrived at my friend’s house. He was less than enthusiastic about taking someone’s wallet back so late at night but I was finally able to drag him out of the house. We looked up the wallet owner’s address and soon we were slowly making our way down his street.
When we arrived at the correct address, the owner (we will call him Frank) was standing in the driveway. My friend and I got out of the car and approached Frank holding out his wallet. Frank was overcome with relief and told us how he had been back to that gas station looking for it. Frank said that he didn’t have much hope that he would ever see it again. I looked at Frank and began to explain to him how God had orchestrated this whole thing. I told him how I went a way I don’t normally go to get to my friend’s house and how I ran out of gas right next to the gas station where he left his wallet. I told Frank that God had worked this entire night out just to let him know that He still cares for you and is protecting you.
Frank was overcome with the revelation and he began to tell us about how things were going so poorly in his life. There were hardships in his work, marriage, relationships and just everything he was blaming himself for. He was also dealing with some health issues so losing his wallet was the back-breaker for him. On a side note….Do you want to know when God is pushing you to minister to people? A big indicator is when strangers begin to pour out their hearts to you.
Standing before my friend and I was a broken man…a stranger to us….a precious child to God. God began to speak. We asked Frank if we could pray for him and what followed was amazing. There was healing, prophetic, repentance and deliverance all in Frank’s driveway. As we ministered according to how the Holy Spirit was leading us we saw a broken man being put back together again as hope and perfect love from the Father found a resting place deep within him. He was visibly shaken by what God was doing inside of him. A peace washed over him and he said he hadn’t felt peace in a very long time. We talked with Frank for a couple more minutes and then left. What an awesome night!
I encourage all of you be willing vessels for God and ask Him to use you. If you ask Him He will give you opportunities. May our testimonies go forth to encourage and exhort all of us! God bless!
Jesse Birkey
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