God Dots: Watch for God-ordained Appointments

By Jim Day 

Most of the time, God Dots are encounters with people. People that God places in your life at the right place and in the right time. Here are some examples: 

A man named Aaron was sitting alone in the park near the convention center in San Jose, Calif., just enjoying the day and reading. Another man, a complete stranger, walked up to Aaron and asked if he enjoyed reading and had he ever read the Bible? Aaron responded that although he enjoyed reading, he had never read the Bible. After thinking about it, he added, “I probably should.” 

To his surprise, the stranger gave him a Bible, and after a wonderful, stimulating conversation, Aaron received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and his life was forever changed. 

The stranger was Victor Sanders from Blair, Pa., who said he was just walking through the park, enjoying the day, when the Holy Spirit urged him to stop and talk with Aaron. 

Saved in the sky 

Mathai Mathew from Albertson, New York was on a plane flying to Houston. The flight attendant was bubbly and energetic as she attended to the needs of the passengers. Being a Christian, Mathai asked her why she was so happy. He was expecting her to say that she had Jesus in her life, but to his surprise, she admitted it was all for show. Just part of the job. 

Guided by the Holy Spirit, Mathai told her about Jesus and real joy, how she could have that joy and be assured of her salvation. The flight attendant knelt down beside Mathai as he told her about who Jesus is and how much He loves us. She responded that she wanted Jesus in her life and she wanted that joy. 

Then, at 38,000 feet above the ground, she got on her knees in the narrow aisle, and while the other passengers watched, she confessed her sin and accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. Mathai and his wife held her hands and prayed for her as she experienced, for the first time in her life, the joy of the Lord. 

A clean slate at last 

Bobby Cockerell grew up in Jeffersonville, Ind., two houses away from the local liquor store. As a young man from a poor family, he would go out late at night and steal whatever he could and sell it to make money. Eventually he got caught and went to jail. Once in prison, he and a couple of friends broke out and stole a car. They’d hurt some of the prison workers in the process of escaping. When they crossed the stateline into Kentucky, the crime became a federal offense. 

Then they were caught. While Bobby was in the Fayette County Detention Center, he got to talking with a man who came to the center on his own time to minister to the inmates. The man’s name was Harry Taylor. Bobby just knew that he had to talk to Harry. 

Harry asked Bobby if he was saved. Bobby said no, and for the first time in his life, he felt ashamed. Harry led Bobby to salvation through Jesus Christ. In November 2011, Bobby was baptized in prison. He said that he felt like even though he still had 21 years to serve, he had been given a clean slate, and had never felt that way before. 

God-ordained appointments 

All of these people had a God-ordained appointment. Victor, Mathai, and Harry had something else in common. They were all members of an organization of Christians called the Gideons. 

Consider this: If you are a Christian and you have been looking for a place to serve, this is a great one. Gideons are non-denominational Christian lovers of God’s Word. There is room for everyone in the Gideons and they need Christian brothers and sisters to join them. Some of the work they do includes giving Bibles away to people all over the world and spreading the gospel message in almost 200 countries. 

“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11 

And this leads me to ponder one of my favorite quotes: “The only thing that has to happen for evil to triumph, is for good people to stand by and do nothing.” 

We all have it in us to make a difference. I challenge you to go be someone’s God Dot. 

Tell me your God Dot story. Send it to [email protected]. 

Jim Day is the pastor of Valley Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Hazelton, Idaho. (The stories shared in this column were taken from issues of The Gideon magazine.)