Several years ago there was a wonderful man in our church and when we learned that he had Stage Four cancer at only 48 years old, we were all deeply saddened and shocked.  One day for no particular reason, or so I thought, I decided to make this gentleman a fish chowder.  I knew that a cancer patient needed protein, and I knew that the delicious cold water, New England haddock would digest fairly easily in his stomach.  After making sure it came out just right, off I went with the chowder, visited with this dear man briefly, and went on my way.

That evening, the phone rang.  It was his wife calling to ask why I had made her husband a fish chowder.  She is an amazing lady – we served on the Worship Team at church together.  But, I couldn’t understand why she would be asking me such a specific question – ‘why had I brought a fish chowder to her husband?’  I had purposely not made it a seafood chowder with clams and scallops.  I knew they would be much more difficult to digest.  What had I done?!  Was he allergic to the fish/milk/seasoning?  Had there been a bone in the fish and he had choked on it?  I was not only baffled, but rather beside myself that I had done something terribly detrimental to his overall health.

Finally I answered her and said that I just thought that the protein would be good for him, easy to digest and, I thought, hopefully fairly tasty.  Her reply went something like this to me – that he had been asking for a fish chowder for a week, or so, and with her working fulltime, taking him to doctor appointments and caring otherwise for him, there had just not been time to make the chowder.  Coincidence that I made one for him?  I don’t think so.  I realized that the Lord had put it in my heart and mind to do such a simple thing for a brother in Christ who had such a simple desire.

This is a brief writing, but I just wanted to add that I have had other wonderful promptings from the Lord, too.  And then I have had those promptings that I ignored – not blatantly, but nevertheless did not follow through – and I was sorry.  When I was in voice, a song I often included in my concerts was ‘Shepherd of My Heart’.   The lines to the last verse —

“You’re the beacon of my nights – the sunlight of my days.

I can rest within Your arms – I can know Your loving ways.

So as I walk through valleys listening for my Master’s call,

I’ll trust in You, Shepherd of my heart.”

Not only do I want to be obedient to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, I want to listen for them!  I want to be more like Jesus – love like Him – and serve others like He does.

‘If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the spirit.’  – Galatians 5.25