I’m a bi-vocational pastor and drive a tractor-trailer in New England for a living. Some time ago, I was traveling from New Hampshire into Maine. During this trip, another truck driver passed me, and I noticed a fish emblem on the back of his trailer.
The Lord moved on my heart, and I knew He wanted me to talk with that driver. I tried to connect with him on the two-way radio, but he didn’t reply; it must have been off. One try and I wanted to give up.
All sorts of questions were running through my head: What if he’s getting off at the next exit? Why is it so important for me to talk with him? All I had to go on was the continued tugging on my heart, and I knew it meant there was something more for me to do and that it would go beyond just talking with him.
Praying and asking God, “Why?” it became clear God wanted me to share communion with a guy I didn’t know, in another truck traveling 65 mph, after I had chased him more than 50 miles. This was not how I had planned my day!
His truck was stronger and faster than mine, so I couldn’t get alongside him to get his attention. Many times I tried to give up, but the Spirit was intent on me following through with it. Frustrated, I finally declared out loud, “If You want this to happen, then You need to slow him down!” (I should’ve been asking for that 30 miles ago!)
He slowed down because of a car in front of him. I got alongside, he turned on his two-way radio, and we started talking. I asked about the fish emblem and whether or not it was him who had put it there; it was. I told him I believed God wanted for us to share communion together; I had bread and a drink in my truck. We stopped at a rest area in Kennebunk, Maine.
I noticed in our conversation that he would not look me in the face. After sharing communion, I closed our time together by simply praying and thanking God for bringing us together. Then the Holy Spirit moved on him, and he began to pray out loud, giving thanks that became more joyful with each word coming from his lips. As he was doing this, I began to silently ask God that he would be able to look me in the eyes.
Not long after I had silently asked this, he opened his eyes and met my gaze. He continued thanking God that he could look me in the eyes. We talked a little about it, and I learned that for his whole life he had not looked people in the face.
I reminded him about our being a new creation In Christ, and continued our prayer by calling for God to seal this breakthrough so the devil would not be able to take it away. I prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit, explaining it is the Spirit who empowers us to stand in faith.
After this, I had to get back on the road. But as I was leaving, he stated he would call his pastor (whom he had been avoiding) to share this divine appointment we had experienced. He also said he would be going back to his church.
As we each pursue maturity in Christ, study His Word and learn to listen to His Spirit, we need to let God in and let Him take charge as Lord. This means letting go of our own schedules, and making room for the simple spiritual disciplines of the Word and prayer.
Do we really mean what we say when we pray, “Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10, NKJV)? If so, then He must be the central focus of each of our days before we can say He is the Lord of our lives.
The more we get into the Word and allow the Word to get into us, the more we will hear the Holy Spirit. We will have more for Him to bring to our remembrance (see John 14:26), and more understanding to live and act in obedience to His Spirit—which is the mark of true spiritual maturity.
By: J. Alan McCay, assisting minister at The Harvest Community (Southern New Hampshire Foursquare Church) in Raymond, N.H.
