Supernatural Relationships

When God Goes Before You

Have you ever met someone and instantly known there was something about them that intrigued you—in a good way? You just knew you would be friends. And you had no idea why.

Don’t dismiss the nudge.

God unites people for seasons or reasons that we don’t often immediately understand.

Of course, we can pray for relationships—both for ourselves and for others. But sometimes, God simply surprises us with them. When He is orchestrating and we choose to follow His lead, we find there is purpose far beyond what we could imagine.

Three Years Before We Met

Although I had never met the staff at the school where the missionaries serve, I had prayed for them for over three years as mission teams came and went.

One of my favorite things to do is to ask God if there is a message or word of encouragement He would like to share with a specific person—and then write it out. I would send the cards with visiting mission teams, never expecting a response. No return note. No acknowledgment. Just obedience.

I didn’t think much about it.

Until I arrived.

There, posted above their desks, were some of the very cards I had written.

When the staff met me, they felt as though they already knew me. God had been quietly weaving relationship for over three years—long before we stood face to face. A supernatural trust had formed in the absence of personal contact.

Here on earth, trust often takes years to build—if it is built at all. And almost never in the span of a short visit.

But when God builds it, it is different.

Falling in Love the Way Only God Can

Over the next few weeks, as I spent time with them in South Africa, I fell in love with them in the way only God can orchestrate.

I prayed for them.
I listened to them.
God showed me their hearts.

I wished I could solve their circumstances. But for now, I could “only” pray and encourage them through the word of my testimony and the Word of God.

And that is never small.

The Invitation to Encourage

As my time in South Africa was coming to a close, I felt invited—by God—to further encourage the staff.

I spent the bulk of three days praying and writing specific words for each staff member. I purchased gifts individually, walking through a bookstore asking the Lord what He would like to give each person.

You see, He knows their prayers.
He knows their hearts.
He knows their struggles, their likes, their quiet requests whispered in the dark.

The Father sees them—and He wants them to know that.

I carefully chose books, Bibles, devotionals, and journals, praying the Spirit would speak through each gift.

For one of the pastors, I purchased an NLT Bible. It was blue with leather binding. I knew it was special, though I didn’t know why.

“He Hears Me.”

I watched as he opened it.

Tears streamed down his face.

“He hears me. He hears me. Thank you, Jesus.”

He had literally prayed and asked God for that very Bible—right down to the exact translation.

Nothing says I love you like an answered prayer.

And sometimes, the answer arrives in a simple blue Bible carried in a gift bag.

The Gospel Is Not Complicated

I remembered being in Africa four years earlier visiting missionaries. The message delivered then was simple:

“God loves you.”

Sometimes we make sharing the gospel so complicated when it truly is as simple as loving someone. Listening. Praying. Obeying.

God spoke through those small gift bags—through a book, a handwritten card, and thoughtful details.

“I see you.
I love you.”

What a privilege to be used in such a way.

They gathered together and called me into the middle, sharing how much it meant that I would be obedient. We gave God the credit. All of it.

And then they prayed for me.

Poor in Spirit

Once again in Africa, I was surrounded by amazing, God-loving, God-fearing men and women deemed “poor” by the world.

But Scripture tells a different story.

In Gospel of Matthew 5:3 (ESV), we read:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In the NLT:
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

This has nothing to do with finances.

It has everything to do with need.

I have watched them sacrificially give out of their poverty, and it has been beautiful. I was honored that heaven desired to give to them—and used me to do it here on earth.

The Right Measuring Tape

But I left challenged.

My bank account may be larger—but is my heart for God?

Do I truly realize my need for Him?

In Gospel of Matthew 19:23–24, Jesus says it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. When our focus is eternity, how many earthly riches do we truly want to accumulate?

We all know someone who has more or less money than we do. A bigger house. A newer car. A different life. And if we are honest, we compare. We measure.

But are we using the right measuring tape?

Are we viewing success through earthly eyes—or through the promise of heaven?

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Maybe we all need a new goal.