Answered Prayer

*****ALL GLORY TO GOD! Everything in this post is meant to give God the glory HE deserves. I seek to be obedient - not for my glory - but for HIS.

Pray.
It's something I do all day long. Part of my desire to have unending communication with my heavenly Father. It is my response to His gracious offer to listen, to hear me, to be my GOD.
I seek His face.
He speaks to my heart.
I ask for guidance.
He nudges my spirit.
I call on Him.
He moves.

Well, last week I watched a video of a man in a grocery store randomly paying for people's purchases. And my heart was simply delighted by the responses of each recipient of his kindness. There were tears. And hugs. Praises to God. Expressions of relief, and humility. And pure joy. It was a beautiful thing.
And I thought, Oh, if only I had the means to do pay for others' groceries. How fabulous it would be to be able to go out and bless total strangers (Strangers to me, but not to God) like that! And I spent some time day-dreaming about how much I would love to bless people in this way.
Then I stopped just thinking about it, and I started to PRAY. I asked God to provide for me the means to go out and pay for groceries of complete strangers - as an expression of HIS love for them. I couldn't imagine how such a provision would come about, but I asked anyway.
So, the next day Brian was opening up some mail which contained a credit card. He activated it over the phone, then gave it to me and said, "Here you go. Don't use it for groceries." And I'm all, "Wha???? What is this? What's it for?" He went on to explain the card was a pre-paid credit card. A rebate from the tires he recently purchased for his car. It contained $70, and he was giving it to me.
As a gift.
To spend however I wanted.
Except for on groceries.
Now, I am not a rocket scientist, but it didn't take me too long to figure out that God had just answered my prayer. I had asked him to provide me with the means to pay for someone else's groceries - and here in my possession was $70.
So I said with a great big smile, "You mean don't use it for our groceries, right?"

I spent the next couple of days in excited anticipation, and when Saturday came - God and I went to the store to bless a few people. While I was thanking God for His provision and the opportunity He had afforded me, I asked Him to lead me to the people He had already chosen to receive such a gift. There was sweet lady named Laura; a young man named Mike - and his son; a man who has "heard of people doing this, but has never had anyone buy [his] groceries" - and who was kind enough to listen to my story about how God worked it all out; a woman who wondered, "What did I do to deserve this?" (I told her she was 'here' and God loved her - those were the only requirements.); and a woman I know from church who is having some financial troubles, and who just "happened" to be at the store the same time as me. (Yeah. I see no coincidence there. Only providence.)
And, can I tell you? I haven't had that much fun since I don't know when. A girl and her faithful God, hanging out by the check-out lanes, on a mission to be a blessing.
God is good.
ALL THE TIME!