Two Divine Appointments

By Theda Pienaar

I have a habit of not traveling without first asking God whether the trip would be His will. I live in Ireland, while my family lives in South Africa and a sister lives in Namibia. I visit them about once a year. On the airplane, I read the Bible, Ellen White books, and the Adult Bible Study Guide. I also always take Steps to Christ in my bag. The books shorten the trip and lead to interesting contacts. Every time I travel, something interesting happens.

Image © Pacific Press

One time, I started talking with the man seated next to me while waiting for our flight at the airport in Dublin, Ireland. It turned out that he worked as a special detective for the Irish police force and traveled home to see his family in Cape Town, South Africa, every two to three months. We chatted about life while waiting for the plane to board. On the plane, a young woman sat beside me and immediately began speaking. “I arrived late at the airport and just made the plane,” she said. “I am so stressed!”

“God knew that you needed to catch this plane,” I said.

I spoke about how God takes charge of our lives when we allow Him.

Just before takeoff, the flight attendant told the young woman that she had taken the wrong seat. She left and who should sit beside me but the policeman. “Isn’t this interesting!” I said. “I believe God does things for a reason.”

“You believe in God?” the man said.

He asked about my religious background, and I said I am a Seventh-day Adventist. “Isn’t that strange,” he said. “My wife has been trying to convert me for many years. She is Seventh-day Adventist.”

“I am thrilled to meet you,” I said. And I was.

We spoke about salvation, and I gave him a copy of Steps to Christ. “My wife has been trying to get me to read this,” he said. “Now I will read it.”

My two encounters were so remarkable. The ice was broken with the police detective before we boarded the plane. I also was able to mention God to the woman who sat in the wrong seat. Ireland is a very secular country, and it is not easy to speak to people about Christianity. But God provided two opportunities before the plane even left the ground.

This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Mission Objective No. 2, “To strengthen and diversify Adventist outreach in large cities [and] among unreached and under-reached people groups”; Spiritual Growth Objective No. 5, “To disciple individuals and families into spirit-filled lives”; and the Holy Spirit Objective, “To be defined as the Holy Spirit leads.” Read more: IWillGo2020[dot]org.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

Because Abraham was the extraordinary prophet with whom God would share His plans (Genesis 18:17), God entered Abraham’s human sphere and shared with him, to some degree, His plan of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was offered a sacrifice for the sins of the world. God would impress upon Abraham the gospel of salvation to man. In order to do this, and make the truth a reality to him as well as to test his faith, He required him to slay his darling Isaac. All the sorrow and agony that Abraham endured through that dark and fearful trial were for the purpose of deeply impressing upon his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man. He was made to understand in his own experience how unutterable was the self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to die to rescue man from utter ruin. To Abraham no mental torture could be equal to that which he endured in obeying the divine command to sacrifice his son.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 369.

“Abraham had become an old man, and expected soon to die; yet one act remained for him to do in securing the fulfillment of the promise to his posterity. Isaac was the one divinely appointed to succeed him as the keeper of the law of God and the father of the chosen people, but he was yet unmarried. The inhabitants of Canaan were given to idolatry, and God had forbidden intermarriage between His people and them, knowing that such marriages would lead to apostasy. The patriarch feared the effect of the corrupting influences surrounding his son … In the mind of Abraham the choice of a wife for his son was a matter of grave importance; he was anxious to have him marry one who would not lead him from God … Isaac, trusting to his father’s wisdom and affection, was satisfied to commit the matter to him, believing also that God Himself would direct in the choice made.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 171.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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This video is produced by the South Pacific Division Discipleship team.

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You can view an in-depth discussion of The Promise; in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view:
With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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In 1969, 7 -year old Niki was in the hospital having some tumors removed from her throat. While in the hospital she met Charita, another girl her age, who had a rare form of cancer. Niki found out that because of the cancer Charita would never be able to have children of her own. The two girls formed a friendship, and one night while the two of them were alone in their hospital room, Charita was crying. Niki came over to Charita’s bedside to comfort her. She told her not to cry and that when she got married and had her own baby she would let her mentor her baby and if it was a girl would even name it after her.

Image © Pacific Press

After their stint in the hospital Niki and Charita kept in touch until 6 months later when Charita’s family moved from Los Angeles to New Mexico. In 1983 Niki married and in 1987 had a daughter whom she named Charita. Niki then went on the Unsolved Mysteries show looking for her childhood friend Charita so she could help mentor little Charita. In 1990 Niki and Charita were happily reunited.

In a world where people will make empty promises just to get whatever they want, 7-year old Niki stayed true to her promise even as an adult, married and with a child. While it’s true that our promises are like ropes of sand and we can only trust God’s promises (2 Peter 1:4), we may still, by God’s grace, like Jesus and 7-year old Niki, stay true to our word. After all, even while the Bible teaches us not to put trust in ourselves or anyone else, the Bible also speaks of those who “keep their promises even when it hurts.” Psalm 15:4 NLT

This week we are studying the promises God made to Abraham. One of the ways we reflect the image of God is by being men and women of our word. Sure, we make mistakes and have made promises only to break them. This is one reason why I am careful about making promises. Instead of promising to help a friend, I tell them I will try, but make it clear I am not making a promise.

While God’s promises are the only promises we can rely on, by God’s grace, we can be men and women of our word. By God’s grace, we can be faithful to our promises even if it hurts.

Can you share a time when someone showed you God’s love by staying true to their promise?

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