What a Chance Encounter Taught Me About the Workings of the Holy Spirit
Taylan, 23, California, USA
In the winter of 2019, my buddy Mike and I had an amazing God encounter while on a road trip. We were pulling up to a stop sign when Mike said that the Holy Spirit was telling him to turn left. I hesitated, knowing that a left turn would add half an hour to our travel time, but Mike insisted. We turned left.
About 15 minutes down the road, we saw a hitchhiking woman drunkenly stumbling along the side of the road. As we passed her, my heart began racing. I then felt the Holy Spirit tell me that this woman didn’t know Jesus. Just as Mike had insisted we go left, I insisted that we pick her up. When we pulled over and invited her in, she was visibly shocked. As she climbed into the backseat, the smell of alcohol filled the car. She immediately began venting about her alcohol and drug-addicted boyfriend. The night before, he’d refused to let her leave his house, forcing her to be away from her kids.
As she spoke, I remembered that just a week prior, I’d asked God to give me an opportunity to share my testimony. I’d prayed that He would put someone on my path whom I could point to Christ. I looked over at Mike and when we locked eyes, we both knew what to do. He looked at the woman through the rearview mirror and said, “I believe God sent us to you today.” Immediately, the woman broke down into tears.
As she wept, she told us that she used to serve the Lord as a Sunday school teacher. In fact, she’d actually met her troubled boyfriend at church. He seemed to be a good man, but he gradually began leading her down a bad path. Pretty soon, they found themselves drinking more and going to church less; eventually they stopped going altogether.
That morning, while at breakfast with her boyfriend, she had prayed to God for the first time in three years. Her prayer was simple: “God, if you’re still there, please get me out of this situation.“ Suddenly, she had the urge to walk out of the restaurant. She left all of her belongings at the restaurant and began the long walk home. “Half an hour later, you guys pulled up. And now you’re saying the Lord sent you,” she sobbed.
Then, in the backseat of our car, she gave her life to Jesus. That day, God showed up for that woman in a miraculous and extraordinary way. There was no denying that He heard her prayer. That encounter changed her life, but it also changed mine.
Believers, we must listen for the Holy Spirit’s urgings. And when He calls, answer.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)