God often delights me by connecting me with people in ways that I know are totally by His design. One such encouraging experience happened in 2009, when my bride, Sahani, and I attended Calvary Fellowship in West Hartford, Connecticut. Pastor Bill, a fun guy and a great teacher, gave a challenging sermon on living out our faith in Christ. His message, taken from the book of James, encouraged us to not just have faith but to demonstrate our faith with action.
While carefully acknowledging that salvation is God’s gift, obtained through faith not works (Eph. 2:8-9), Pastor Bill highlighted some challenging things James says, such as, “Faith alone, if not accompanied by works, is dead. You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:17-18).
The point is that if we’re truly saved and following Jesus, there should be evidence of this by how we live our lives. There’s a big difference between people who merely believe in Jesus and those who follow Him. Pastor Bill encouraged us not to miss the opportunities God gives us to be blessings in other people’s lives. He challenged us to make a commitment during the next week to do something tangible to put our faith into action. I prayed, asking God to help me do just that.
The next morning on the way to work, I had to stop by the hospital where Sahani worked to give her something, which I normally don’t do. I arrived at the hospital and was waiting in the parking lot for my wife to meet me. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my window. I looked up, surprised to see an elderly woman standing beside my car.
After I rolled down the window, she smiled and said through a thick African accent, “Hello, I’m waiting for an angel.”
Shocked, I responded, “Excuse me?” She began telling me that her son had dropped her off for a doctor’s appointment, but there was a mix-up with the dates; her appointment was tomorrow, not today. Her son had already left for work with the car, and she didn’t have bus fare. So she prayed, asking God to send her an angel to take her home. I was immediately struck with a sense of God’s irony; I knew it was no coincidence that I had just “happened” to pull up there.
“I’m no angel,” I said, “but I’ll help you out.” Elizabeth introduced herself as I helped her with her bags. She climbed into my car, very appreciative. When my wife came out, she was surprised to see Elizabeth in the car with me. I briefly explained that I was going to give her a ride home.
On the way to Elizabeth’s home, she began telling me that she really believes in miracles and angels. She said she’d asked someone else for a ride, and tried to explain her situation, but the person didn’t understand her and rudely drove away.
She said, “Well, Lord, I guess that one wasn’t meant for me.” Then she saw me pull up, came over to ask me, and knew that I was God’s angel sent to help her. As we rode along, Elizabeth shared how she had raised her children alone in Uganda, struggled to send them to America to have a better life, and how God was with her throughout everything, doing miracles, including providing them with visas. She excitedly showed me her Bible study materials and commented repeatedly on how she believed that our meeting was a miracle and an answered prayer. We arrived at her apartment, and I helped her unload her bags. Her daughter came out, surprised to see her mom with me.
She said, “What happened? I was waiting for your call to come get you.”
Elizabeth replied with a calm confidence, “I didn’t want to bother you. I prayed, and God sent me an angel.”
We exchanged information and I left, in awe of how God orchestrates things. Thank You, Lord, for answering my prayer and giving me an opportunity to put my faith into action and for blessing me abundantly as I did!
Daniel Fazzina is author of Divine Intervention: 50 True Stories of God’s Miracles Today and host of the radio program Divine Intervention, in which he interviews intriguing people who have experienced the hand of God in amazing ways. With a bachelor’s degree in communication arts and a professional background in media production, he has hosted radio shows, edited music videos, and directed films and commercials. Daniel’s personal testimony of miraculous healings—one from a painful chronic back condition and one from a massive, cancerous tumor—led him to start the Divine Intervention radio show, which can be heard on its flagship station, WLIX in New York, on various other radio stations across America, and on the Internet at divineinterventionradio.com.
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