Oceans in the Desert

Kathi Pelton

My husband and I have been in California for the past week visiting family and dear friends (this is where we grew up and then raised our kids). There was one particular thing that I DEEPLY desired to see happen while we were here but the Lord was not releasing my husband or I to initiate it. It was regarding reconciliation with someone very important to us that believed false information about me. This had caused them to separate themselves from us and cut off all relationship for a very long time.

This person does not live in the city that we are visiting so there was no chance of seeing them unless we initiated a meeting and drove to where they live. But the Lord would not release us to do so. Though it made me very sad, I trust His timing and His ways so I decided to just enjoy our time and not fuss with it.

Yesterday my husband and I had some free time before a family Memorial Day gathering so we decided to go downtown and walk around old familiar places that our family had enjoyed when we were raising our kids. As we walked around my husband saw a pastry shop that he loves and looked at me longingly— hoping to get one of their pastries. Now, my normal answer would be, “No way! We don’t need that!” And we were about to go enjoy a BBQ with our family. But immediately I found myself saying, “You should get one.” I was so surprised by my response and when he heard me say it he immediately said, “Oh, no— I shouldn’t do that.” But once again I found myself saying, “Just do it.”

So, we went and bought the pastry and as we sat down my husband looked up with the most surprised look and said, “Kathi, look who is here!” I looked up and there stood the person that I was longing to meet with that lives in another city.

We all embraced and this person said that they had paid a lot of money for a Lyft to come there from where they lived (they don’t have a vehicle) to meet a friend from another far away city. It was sudden, unplanned and spontaneous. They decided to take a walk and were passing by the pastry shop and they immediately had a desire to have a pastry from this shop (I guess the Holy Spirit can use anything!).

I was in awe! We were able to sit and talk and clear up the lies that they had believed and share how much we loved this person. They also apologized and we were reconciled. This situation had been weighing on my heart for a long time but I knew that all I could do was to pray. My heart had been broken by this separation but now it was mended.

I share this for any of you that are carrying something painful to the Lord in prayer. My husband and I were saying how in awe of God’s orchestration is. Thousands of little details had to all come into alignment for this divine meet-up. If one of us did one thing different we would not have met. But the Holy Spirit made sure that every detail and every moment was protected and our steps were led to that particular place at that exact time.

I looked at numerous decisions that we made that morning that were not normal, not the way we’d planned or would usually do things, including that I sat in a coffee shop and sent my husband to his favorite book store for over an hour when we were supposed to be enjoying our time together. Little things that brought us to that point and place that was God orchestrating my heart’s deep desire.

Often people wonder if God is ordering their steps— but let me assure you that there is an invisible hand leading you, helping you and guiding you into divine appointments that will not be missed. We had no idea that anything we did that morning had any supernatural meaning or
leading— but every step and every act and every decision was orchestrated by His love and His will…even buying a pastry!

By the way— this person that we were reconciled with was our oldest daughter, who is a prodigal. Oh the kindness of God! The love of God knew that my mama’s heart could not bear to leave California once again without seeing her, holding her or being reconciled to her.

How good He is to those who love him and trust in him!

——————————————————-

https://www.inscribeministries.com/