SABBATH FRAGRANCES
«He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read» (Luke 4:16).
The following morning I went to church, and in the afternoon I slowly made my way to the hospital to have my wound cared for in the Emergency Room. I was treated quickly. It was a cold, windy, rainy afternoon. Since the youth meeting would start in a short while at church, I decided to stay at the hospital to take shelter from the weather and read comfortably in a chair.
The hospital was empty. There was only one security guard in the waiting room: Diego.
I began praying for him, sat down, opened my Bible and started reading. “It’s rare to see someone your age reading the Bible!” I heard him say after a few minutes. It’s one of my favorite phrases; I had accomplished my goal.
«What are you reading?» he asked. I was reading about one of Jesus’s miracles performed on Sabbath. I mentioned what had happened and told him I was remembering how many times Jesus did good on the Sabbath. I also told him, subtly but intentionally, that I was waiting around before it was time to go to church.
“To church? On Sabbath?” Again I smiled to myself. We talked for a while, read some verses together (today’s verse among them), we shared some problems and prayer requests. He wrote down several references on the cover of the missionary book I gave him and was very intrigued. He wanted to get to know God better.
It was time for me to leave, but he was able to spend the rest of his afternoon shift peacefully reading in the empty hospital.
Diego was an answer to the prayer I had prayed that Friday night full of uncertainty. Just as God answered my prayer that day, he came many years before in answer to the prophecies that talked about Him, and will also answer your prayers today, as long as you seek Him and spend time with Him. He will probably then introduce you to a «Diego» for you to talk to about Him.