No one likes standing in a line.  And, when the line is long and not moving, it is even less fun.  Yet, this is exactly where I was when God taught me a powerful lesson about following the Holy Spirit on His mission to reach others with the love of Jesus.

I had been stuck in a line for over thirty minutes waiting to check in for an international flight.  Everyone was feeling the tension and I was just standing there looking at the back of the heads of the people in front of me.  Then, like a gentle whisper from heaven, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to turn around and begin a conversation with the woman standing behind me.  I have learned that, even when it feels a little awkward, it is always best to respond to these gentle nudges.  So, I turned around, introduced myself, and we started chatting.

It might help if I turn the clock back a few hours and share my morning routine.  Each day when I wake up, I ask the Lord to lead me by His Holy Spirit.  Before I roll into all the responsibilities of the day, I ask God if He would graciously open doors for opportunities to share his love, care, and message of hope with the people I encounter that day.  This is a brief exercise but it is a prayer from the depth of my heart.  I let God know that I am available to the heavenly partnership He wants to invite me into.

When I sense this is happening, I don’t over-analyze or evaluate, I simply seek to take a step forward.  I take action and try my best to follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit.  On this particular day, this meant making a simple 180-degree turn around in the line and saying, “Hello!”  to the woman behind me.  Then I let God lead me from there.

I had already gone through the obligatory hello and chatted about how long the line was so now I had to engage in a new way.  I turned around and asked her, “Is your trip for business or pleasure?”  She thought for a moment and said, “It is not for business, but it will not be pleasurable.”  She went on to tell me that she was headed into a situation where a family member was in some real trouble and it became clear that her heart was truly troubled.  I listened, entered into her turmoil and pain, and was careful not to press her to share too much personal information.

After a short time of talking and agreeing that life does have a lot of trouble that comes our way, I felt a sincere desire to pray for her.  I felt that God wanted to minister to her.  I gently let her know that I would love to pray for her and all she was walking into.  I even explained that we did not need to close our eyes but I could pray for her right there in line, with our eyes wide open. She expressed openness to me praying so right there, in the line, with eyes open, I prayed for God to supply her with all she would need for the days ahead.  When I said, “In Jesus’ Name, Amen!” she had tears in her eyes and asked if she could give me a hug.  We embraced and I assured her I would keep praying for her in the days ahead.  It was clear to me that God had invited me into His plan and He had answered the prayer I had lifted up that morning.

Here are four simple ideas that have helped me, on many occasions, to follow the Holy Spirit into a time of partnership in God’s ministry to people I encounter in the flow of an ordinary day: