How utterly amazing the Lord is! Today He sent me from my hotel in New Jersey back into New York City for more streets ministry there. I had a phenomenal time walking for miles preaching, passing out tracts, ministering to people, praying, and worshiping the Lord as I walked. Exhausted and very ready to catch my bus back to my hotel to care for my special needs ministry dogs and excited to enjoy a plain rotisserie chicken I had just purchased from Whole Foods in my ever effort to get enough protein and put weight on to please the Lord. God changed my plans.
Right before my bus came, I noticed a homeless woman in the bus station who turns out was in the process of what appeared to be overdosing from cocaine. No bus station staff to help. No police around. None of the people at the bus station waiting for buses did anything. God gave me the amazing opportunity of staying with her for quite a long time praying for her, talking to her about Jesus, dialing 911, and working closely with the dispatcher to monitor her and relay back to him her condition. She appeared on the verge of losing consciousness and possible death. This was not a first for me. I have done this several times in my streets ministry work, but I have never been blessed with a more loving, caring, compassionate, kind, and caring dispatcher who made clear he wanted me to be with her all the way through until help finally came.
By God’s grace, she survived. Police officers arrived. She miraculously perked up and communicated with them. They took over. I left a Gospel tract with her and off I went. I gave the dispatcher my ministry website address with the hope he would visit it and be blessed in so doing. Now I had a long wait until the next bus came. And after checking online via phone, I knew it would be best to give away my Whole Foods plain chicken and not risk getting sick given how long it would be unrefrigerated and not eaten. God led me to a homeless man whom I am sure enjoyed the chicken.
I am so human. My flesh had wanted to catch that bus. My flesh was tired from an amazing day of ministry. My flesh wanted that chicken. But that lady’s survival and hoped for eternity with the Lord was so very much more important.
About two hours after I returned to my hotel, a sister in the Lord who knows me from my a previous stay at the hotel came back from a long day out. She had a whole bunch of grocery bags. She had no idea why but shared with me that God had told her to buy a massive bag of plain rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods. Far, far more than she could possibly eat. Far more than either of us had ever seen a Whole Foods store pack into one carrying case. Two whole chickens it seemed. And she would be delighted if I would accept from her the blessing of a whole bunch of freshly cooked plain chicken from Whole Foods.
I just finished a big bunch of chicken. So now I ask you this. Who but God could have orchestrated all this? Who but God so loves His children, so cares about every detail of our lives, and so blesses and honors those who love and serve Him with all our hearts, that all of this would have transpired.
Hope this little New York City testimony blesses you in reading it as much as it has blessed me being part of it. To the Lord be absolutely every ounce of glory, HALLELUJAH! Amen!
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17 NKJV
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:26 NKJV