(Another) Answer to a Routine Prayer – from WHERE?!

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And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

It started out as a normal day. (Most of my adventures do these days.) Marty was playing pickleball, but what had become his new passion was off limits for me; twenty years of running had taken its toll on my knees, and starting-stopping-twisting-turning-type activities were a little too risky. I’ll stick with hiking, biking, and kayaking. A two-mile walk to the end of the pier and back is a perfect time to get in my morning prayers.

…or afternoon prayers. With my ADHD tendencies, I am grateful the Lord is patient. This was one of those days, and it was past noon by the time I started out with everything I needed. (When I used to walk the dog and also needed poop bags, treats, and leash, it’s a wonder I got out the door at all.)

My prayers were the normal stuff – offering my body to the Lord (Romans 12:1), offering Him my mind (II Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12:2), etc. As I gave Him my body, mind, and heart, I “put on the armor of God” – the belt of Truth, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6). When “having my feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace,” I prayed the usual things: that I would go where the Lord wants me to go, encounter the people He wants me to encounter, and speak the words He wants me to speak. This prayer often gives me a sense of anticipation – how will He answer it today? Though I get frustrated with myself, I know God is very good at working with what He has; if I make myself available to Him, He’ll do the rest.

It was mostly a solitary walk. The summer people were gone, and the chill in the air makes one reluctant to get out. But the trees were finally starting to change color, and the “wooly worms” crawled across the path, their black and orange colors (according to superstition) predicting a harsh or mild winter. One was solid orange. (Well, you’re a little optimist, aren’t you?) Across the channel I could see people walking the other pier, most of them bundled up, expect for a few kids in swimsuits jumping into the water. (Insanity isn’t a frame of mind, it’s a way of life.)

On the way back, as I waded through the hundreds of acorns, thinking either there was a bumper crop that year or the squirrels weren’t doing their job, I wondered if they were edible for humans, although I had never heard of anyone eating them. I made a mental note to google it.

I was almost home when a woman in a car stopped and asked me where the lighthouse was. It couldn’t be seen from the road, so I explained that she would have to park and walk past a couple of houses to get to the pier. I noticed three things about her: her walking stick, beautiful blue eyes, and an exotic-sounding accent, I guessed Russian, or maybe eastern European. As I tried to estimate how far it was, and about the spot where she might have trouble walking over some rocks and another section that was sandy, I finally offered to go with her. She parked the car, and I repeated the pier part of my walk, this time a little slower and getting to know my new friend Luda. We had a lot in common – our age, our love of the area, and our active lifestyle – at least until recently. Luda had been riding her bike 20 miles a day, sometimes as much as 50 miles when her husband was living, before an accident that had left her struggling to get around. She was about where I was a year ago, so we talked about hip replacement, and of course I had to tell her how much it helped me to get the sugar out of my diet. It was this sacrifice that had taken me from struggling to walk to walking pain-free in less than two days. She confessed her addiction to sugar – I think most of us can relate – and I told her about some of my recipes for sugar-free chocolates and the baked apples Marty and I have been having for dessert every night. She asked me what I cover the apples with to bake them, and when I said aluminum foil, she scolded me. “Don’t ever let food touch aluminum foil!” Wow, I thought, she’s even more of a health nut than I am. I could tell we were going to get along great! 😉 As we walked through the mass of acorns, Luda said casually, “You can eat these, you know.” (!) She described cooking them and told me about a website where I could learn about things growing in the wild that are good for food – just in case we might need that information to survive someday.

When we got back to her car, Luda told me that she had not wanted to go out that day, but she had forced herself to get out of that chair and go! She said she had walked farther with me than she ever would have by herself. (She wouldn’t have known where to go, anyway.) She had been on her way somewhere else but had “randomly” turned off onto the little road I was walking on, probably about the time I was praying, “Let me encounter the people You want me to encounter.”

Luda gave me a ride home, mainly so we could keep talking. When we pulled up to my house, I ran in to get her some of my sugar free chocolate covered banana slices and my card with my contact information on it. We hugged, and she was on her way.

OK, I have to get ready for church now. Even though there are no Russian Orthodox churches in Manistee (Yes, she is originally from Moscow.), Luda is willing to give my church a try.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for all the times you have answered my routine prayers and made my life a daily adventure. Thank You for sending me a new friend – so near, and yet from so far away! Thank You for Your perfect timing, even with two women struggling to get out – one physically, one mentally (“lol”), and our “random” meeting. Bless Luda today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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37 thoughts on “(Another) Answer to a Routine Prayer – from WHERE?!”

  1. This touches my heart!! ❤️ I can relate to everything you wrote (and your humor ;))! “Thank you, God, for allowing Luda to be an answered prayer!” There’s so much more I want to say,…but thank you for sharing! I love this!
    By the way, I might need to email! I’d love to know these recipes. Many blessings! 🙏🏻♥️

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  3. Every day I ask God to place me with another person who needs to hear what He will give me to say. Some days it’s obvious and others, not so much. But I trust that He will use my interactions for His glory, nonetheless. Yours is a wonderful story. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  8. A So Sweet story, thanks for sharing. I too have tried acorns. We have a large oak tree in our back yard and I had some of those questions myself, some years back. I too got on the internet and read info on cooking them. Made an “acornbutter” concoction. I liked it. It had it’s own unique flavor. It was some work though, grinding up the acorns. lol.

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  10. Oh Annie, You are so special! My daughter is like you. She never met a stranger. But I could never be that outgoing. It just isn’t my nature. But God made us all different and uses us in unique ways. God bless you today! Thank you for sharing your story.

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  11. Annie, I hope you will write about how you got off sugar and the recipes that have helped you kick the sugar habit. I have a terrible sweet tooth! One of my favorite foods is cinnamon toast! Please think about it! 🥹 💕

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    1. Cindy, you’re not the first person to ask me this. I may have to post some recipes. 😏 Meanwhile, the cinnamon toast craving is easy to solve. Just mix Truvia (granulated stevia and erythritol) with cinnamon and a few grains of salt. Sprinkle over buttered toast – yum! 😋

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  12. Wonderful story Ann. It is no surprise to me that these kinds of stories happen all the time to only a few people who have a similar walk with the Lord. Being available, in the word is a big thing…as is our wardrobe.

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  13. Manistee–just 90+ miles north of Grand Haven, where my dad grew up and also where he and my mom retired in 1980. My extended family members and I have a lot of great memories from there–most recently in 2021. So much of your description brought back those memories.

    Great story–I just love how the Lord brings people across our path, sometimes literally!

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  15. What a beautiful and encouraging story! Definitely reminds me to ask for – and be available for – the encounters God would want to place in my day. I have watched my mom doing this as a way of life for many, many years and there have been so many incredible friendships and stories that have come out of it. I’m grateful for examples like her… and you 🙂

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