blessed bizarre.

Today Matt ran into LifeWay Christian bookstore while the girls and I headed to Target to look for a swimsuit.

It is incredibly difficult to find a cute, age-appropriate, one-piece swim suit.

But that's not what I'm sharing today :)  sigh of relief, men

While Matt was in the bookstore, browsing some OT books, two guys in their twenties approached him, and struck up a conversation.  After they talked for a few moments, they asked Matt where he lived, and they spoke for a few minutes about Haiti.

"Dude, you must be TIRED" one of them said passionately.  "I know the Lord is asking me to pray for you.  Can we pray for you, right now?"

So there they stood, praying together in the bookstore, asking the Lord for rest and peace in Him for Matt, for God's strength and wisdom, and that Matt would be led by streams of still waters.

While Matt obviously found the whole thing to be a bit bizarre and unexpected, he said that while the guys were praying, it was clear that God had brought them there to pray for him right where he was, with words just as he needed.

Total strangers.  No reason.  Makes no sense.

When they finished praying, Matt prayed for them as well, and then they emptied their pockets, giving Matt about $40, and headed out.

Bizarre, right?

Except.

It's NOT bizarre if we're His children.  These are the very kinds of things we should EXPECT Him to be asking us to do.  If we're His children, following Him, and asking to be led and used, then it is NOT bizarre for the Lord to lead one to pray for another.  We all aren't strangers to GOD.

It's NOT bizarre if we're His children, following Him, asking to be used by Him, that He WOULD.

It's NOT bizarre, in God's culture, these young men would be willing to look a little crazy by LISTENING to that still small voice, praying for a complete stranger, and give him all their money.

We were all just talking last night on the porch about how one can know what God wants you to do, how God communicates, etc.

For the hundredth time, Matt affirmed by faith and by experience, "God is a very competent communicator.  If we're looking to Him, He's not going to let us miss it.  He will communicate with us."

I'm a bit in awe, and blessed tonight, to see God's communication  fleshed out today and have some complete strangers who love my Jesus love on my Matt and be faithful to Him who called them to encourage Matt to be faithful to Him who called him.

How frequently God uses the bold and generous and crazy love of others to inspire, encourage and fuel us onwards in bold, generous, crazy love!

Thankful again for a God who speaks
for brothers who obey
and for the chance, again,
to be just me used by Him.

what's He prodding in us today?
are we going after it with abandonment, casting aside our comforts and culture?
how might it change everything for another?