– by Sara Lewis

 

The snow had fallen to mid-calf level, unusual for the Delmarva’s Eastern Shore. It was a frosty night to tuck in, giving in to the barricade of unplowed streets. I was newly divorced and had moved into town to a small gray rancher on a quiet street near the community college where I taught. I was feeling so alone and disconnected from an in-law family that I loved dearly and even from my children who were back and forth between us.

 

In the snow-driven quiet, an unexpected knock came on the door and I opened it to find my next-door neighbor Floydie, the only neighbor who dared welcome a divorcee to the neighborhood. A tall stately woman with a quirky sense of humor, she came to make me feel at home in her sheltered section of our small town. No one else had done so—even nearby parents of children I had taught in high school and knew from PTA and school activities.

 

“Welcome to Margaret Street,” she said, with a warm smile. “I’m so glad you are here.”

 

I immediately thawed inside and out from the winter white at her friendly greeting. Over a steaming cup of tea and soul-warming conversation, I learned about her own divorce, her inability to work due to rheumatoid arthritis, her raising three children on her own; our bonds strengthened even on that first encounter.

 

At the end of our first visit, she looked me in the eye and declared, “I will pray for you.” No one had ever said that to me before! I suddenly remembered the verse from Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (NIV).

 

As I felt increasingly welcome to pop back and forth through the hedge and have a cup of tea, I learned more about the depth of this “angel” that God had put across my path. She was a committed Christian and totally dependent on Jesus. I would drop in unexpectedly and “catch” her reading her Bible or teaching her young teenaged daughter a Biblical lesson. I had never seen that kind of faith in action. I began to desire that kind of prayer life of hope and faith. I was learning by Floydie’s example to put my trust in Jesus.

 

I had been an Episcopalian all my life, but not a Christian. At this needy time in my life, God began sending other angels to show pinpoints of light from his Kingdom. One of the older adult students at my college invited me to a monthly dinner meeting of refreshment and encouragement for the “Ninety and Nine.” The Administrative Assistant to my Campus Director gave me Catherine Marshall’s iconic classic “The Helper.” I followed an inspiring and anointed speaker to a Women’s Aglow meeting and encountered worship in the Spirit like never before.

 

At the time, these events and others like them didn’t seem to be linked in any way, at first glance completely random to my muddled thinking. Yet, as I look back in the rearview mirror, I can see that God sent a whole flock of angels to lead me, draw me to him, set my feet on a path toward his purpose for me, one angel wing at a time. Most importantly, he sent Floydie to intercede for me and to lead me to my own calling of intercession for others.

 

As I walk in Jesus’ Presence more closely, I can actually recognize immediately some of the angels he sends instead of having to look in the rearview mirror for them!

 

Who are the angels in your rearview mirror as well as the ones you see looking up the road through your windshield?

 

This post was written by author and speaker Sara Lewis.

Sara is the author of Called to Pray: An Intercessor’s Toolkit, Part 1, Called to Pray: An Intercessor’s Toolkit, Part 2 A-Z Scriptures, and Called to Pray: Prayer Journal.