Today, as part of Church of the City’s Send Saturday, a fellow participant and I walked around Central Park to pray and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
We got to talk with a man originally from Canada who had been traveling alone for over 80 days. At first, we hesitated a little to approach him because he was smoking a cigarette. However, my partner, in particular, felt that God had highlighted him to her, so we decided to approach him and ask if there was anything we could pray for him about.
He shared that he had recently retired and was in a season of seeking God’s will for what comes next in his life, while also recovering from alcoholism. We prayed for him, and my partner continued by sharing her own experience of struggling with shame and guilt, feeling as though she needed to punish herself for her mistakes. More recently, however, God had been teaching her that we are clothed in garments of salvation and robes of righteousness, and that God sees us as He sees Jesus.
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
God is so, so good. Even as an unworthy laborer, I am continually overwhelmed by just how intentional He is with His children. He nudged us to talk to this man, and we got to encourage him and remind him that God sees him and that he does not have to walk the road to recovery burdened by guilt and shame.
Can you imagine being far from home, traveling on your own and seeking God, only for Him to send people to speak life into you while you’re sitting by yourself in a park?
Yes, we truly do serve a good, good God.