The other day I was running along a canal near to where I live in Bradford and I was praying as I started picking up speed.
As I was running this particular day, a young chap with a bright ginger beard, a caring face and a full-length shell-suit caught my heightened attention as I noticed him stroll past me as I’d stopped to stretch. My half-hearted attempt to respond to what the Holy Spirit was saying was to ask him for the time, which he didn’t have.
“So you’ve just asked him for something you don’t need instead of giving him what you do have and that he desperately needs?”. That was my canal-side conviction.
Off I went a few minutes later thinking I might see him again, and I did, coming back towards me. This time I bailed out again – silly thoughts overtaking the Holy Spirit in me – ‘what should I say?’ – knowing full-well that I’d know right in the minute.
I carried on running away from this chap who I’d just passed again. I didn’t get much past a minute down the canal and I had to turn back around. If you want it to, the love of Christ will compel you. Up ahead I saw the guy who I was just about to find out was called Adam. Jesus is awesome and He’s with you – that’s all he needed to hear.
The smile that crept across my face after we’d finished talking told me, “that’s it!!”.
When we engage with what God is saying at any given moment we cast ripples across eternity.
I kicked a few stones in the canal and praised God.
