Just When You Least Expect It

Life is mostly made up of the mundane and the repetitive … until it's not. Until something happens that goes way beyond anything you'd imagined, even if you can't see it until you look back on it years later. Does the name Albert McMakin ring a bell? Probably not. But in 1934 this young farmer, who'd recently come to Christ, was keen to share his faith with others. There was a revival meeting happening in Charlotte, North Carolina, so he urged his good friend Billy to come with him. But that lanky farm boy wasn't in the least bit interested. In fact, he refused point-blank. So Albert offered to let him drive his vegetable truck to the meeting. That did it. Billy agreed. That evening, under the preaching of evangelist Mordecai Ham, Billy Graham was convicted by the gospel. He didn't respond immediately, but within days he'd surrendered his life to Christ, forever changing the course of history. It's estimated that over 3.2 million people came to Christ through Billy Graham's public preaching events during his lifetime. Back in the 1st Century AD, Acts 13:4 Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went to the city of Seleucia. Then they sailed from there to the island of Cyprus. That marked a turning point for the early Church … for the first time taking the Gospel beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. The rest, as they say, is history. Albert, Billy, Barnabas, Saul. Ordinary people, each with a preordained role, through whom God did mighty things. For each one, their day had begun like any other day. But then … God. Watch out because, just when you least expect it, the Holy Spirit will show up. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.