Fly BY

I was listening to a song on the radio but not really listening to the words till I heard something about a flint. This of course got me thinking about flint. What is flint? According to Webster it’s used for striking a fire. That made me think of a lighter. The picture I had in my head was of a lighter that men used to carry around when I was younger. Do you remember the big silver lighters that you flipped the top open and you could smell the lighter fluid?
Anyway I thought about that for a few minutes, if I were flint could I spark a fire.
If the wick on the lighter were wet it couldn’t make a flame right.
I got a visual in my head of the Holy Spirit being the flame and flying by me. I told the Lord that I wanted to ignite every time He was near.
What does that look like? The Holy Spirit flying by?
In my world it’s when I feel like the Lord is asking me to do something. For instance:
The other day I went to Chili's for lunch with a friend and I noticed a couple at the table next to us and I felt like I was supposed to go over and pray for them. They were in the middle of eating so I said to the Lord I’ll wait a minute then go over. Well I got blabbing with my friend and when I finally looked over again they were done eating and the lady wasn’t at the table. I went to the ladies room and she was in there washing her hands. Again I felt like I was supposed to ask the woman if I could pray for her and her husband and again I didn't do it. I told the Lord when I was done I would go right over to the table and ask them if they wanted me to pray for them. When I came back to the dining room they were already walking in the parking lot. I thought about running after them but didn’t. I had missed my opportunity.
The flame came by but my flint was wet…. It’s not that I wasn’t going to do it BUT I should have done it as soon as He said so. Procrastination is the same as disobedience.
Well I told the Lord I was sorry and went about my day disappointed I didn’t talk to the couple right away.
About a week goes by and I’m getting ready for church. We have several services on the weekend 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. I usually go to the 5:00 service on Saturday but decided (so I thought) I would go to the 7:00 one. We have a REALLY big church and there were a lot of people there and at one point I had my head down, when I looked up guess who was sitting a row in front of me. The same couple I saw at the restaurant. I couldn’t believe it! I had never seen these people before and here they were right in front me again.
The Holy Spirit said “I’m giving you a second chance” The Holy Spirit was flying by my flint and this time I was going to spark :)
When the service was over people started for the door and the wife was quick, she got by me before I could get out of the isle. I practically pushed people out of my way so I could get to her husband. I'm sure I was in his personal space when I stopped short in front of him.
I asked him if he and his wife were having lunch at Chili's the week before and he said yes. I briefly explained that I saw them there and that I was supposed to pray for them. I then announced I WOULD be praying for them now. I'm still working on my grace skills or as my friend Melissa would say my filter.
After I got my composure and made more sense he understood what I was saying. He went on to tell me that it was unusual for he and his wife to be together at lunch time but because of a chain of events they ended up near Chili's and decided to have lunch.
It was unusual for me to have lunch there that day too. I worked in an office that most times there were only two of us there so we went to lunch separately. I normally brought my lunch but since it was my last week of work my co-worker and I decided to eat out together.
Of course there are no coincidences and we were all right where God wanted us. The only problem was the Holy Spirit did a fly by and my flint didn't spark.
He then went on to tell me they don’t usually come to the 7:00 service, again God’s timing.
We made our way toward his wife who I’m sure was wondering why I had her husband in a head lock, just kidding. They of course did have a prayer request and the Lord gave me a prayer to speak over them that was right on the money. A fly by of the Holy Spirit ignited by a willing flint.
I really believe when we do things like that it sparks others to be ready for a fly by of the Holy Spirit too. It encourages us to act on the prompting and not just assume we’re crazy. It give us confidence when someone confirms they are waiting on a word from the Lord and He used us to give it to them.
Some of the things that will get your flint wet are doubt, fear, being uncomfortable, pride, anxiety or the worst disobedience. These things will keep us from ever making a spark if we let them.
The Holy Spirit can ignite even the smallest flint so the next time you get a fly by act on it and let your spark turn into a flame.