MEET WILLIE AND WILLIE

Friday I had a breakfast appointment in San Marco to counsel with a young minister. The appointment went well as he shared what God was doing in his life and his desires and plans for the future. It thrilled me to see his heart and passion to follow the Lord and use his gifts and talents for the Kingdom. He was very appreciative of our time together, and I am praying with him for God's guidance.

After our meeting, he left and as I was walking out the restaurant, I felt drawn to speak to a couple of men sitting to the right of the door as I opened it. I hesitated for a moment, but felt compelled.

"Hi," I said. "Are you two believers?"

"Yes," they responded together.

One of them spoke up and said, "I am Willie and this is my friend Willie."

"I'm Milton Dykes. I am the pastor of Southside Assembly here in San Marco. I felt drawn to speak to you."

"Praise the Lord," they both responded. One asked for my business card.

After a moment of small talk, one of them spoke up and shared, "My wife just died and I am hurting so bad."

"I'm so sorry," I empathized.

"It is unbearable," he continued. "I don't know what I am going to do."

"I know how you feel," I said. 

He looked strong at me.

"My wife of 37 years died last year. I know the hurt you are going through."

He looked with amazement and said, "I can't believe you stopped to talk. I had been looking to find someone who could help me and knew how I felt. I have a friend who lost his wife, but we haven't been able to get together."

"The pain is so bad. Part of me is gone. I don't know what I am going to do," he said.

For a few moments I shared my story and described what I went through and how God helped me and how God would help him. I told him that he would make it and that it was ok to cry. I said there is more room on the outside than inside and that he just needed to tell Jesus what he felt. I told him that Jesus was loving enough and big enough and compassionate enough to hear anything he had so say.

We talked more and then I asked if I could pray with him and we did.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. You knew what I needed. You know how I feel. God sent you here for me. I needed your words so bad. You have helped me. Thank you," Willie said.

His friend, the other Willie, said, "You are an angel sent of the Lord."

It was a God moment. It was a moment when God's loving care reached out through me and touched another hurting brother. God sent a wounded "preacher angel" to pour in some oil.

I left Willie and Willie and felt grateful that I had obeyed the Lord's voice to just say hello.

God did the rest. God does unusual things to show us his love. I left wondering if the earlier appointment there wasn't just a God set up for me to be there to tell Willie  that he would make it.