Unexpected Presence - Anne Adams

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree . . . [while] Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:11–12 NKJV

“Did you beep me?”

I heard the question on the front desk phone at the big church where I once worked. I quickly did a mental inventory of the ministers I knew had beepers. It wasn’t any of them, so I blurted, “Who are you?”

The person answered my blunt question, “Walter.” The senior minister. Oops!

After I dove for the switch to connect him to his secretary, I realized what had happened. Usually, when she beeped him, she’d alert me, but this time she hadn’t. Thus the unexpected presence.

Gideon had a similar experience when a divine visitor appeared as he threshed wheat in a hole. The unexpected divine presence brought instructions for God's new job for Gideon.

I’ve never had a visit like Gideon, but I’ve occasionally felt the same sense of a divine presence. It can take various forms–perhaps a sudden urge to say or do something that encourages someone or maybe a new idea I can implement in my writing ministry. Sometimes, God’s unexpected presence approaches me with a new task, as He did with Gideon.

When God shows up unexpectedly or in an unusual way, remember the Lord behind the visit is prepared to provide what you need to follow His divine orders. 

How do you respond when God shows up with a new task for you? 

Tweetable: How do you respond to God's unexpected presence? 

Anne Adams is a retired church staffer living in Athens, Texas, where she writes a historical column for the local newspaper. Her book Brittany, Child of Joy, tells about her mentally disabled daughter and was published in 1986 by Broadman. She has taught junior college history and has published in Christian and secular publications for forty years. 

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