Another work trip with my husband took us this time to the characterful city of Amsterdam. And yes, there are a lot of shops there selling tulips and cheese! There are also a lot of coffee shops, and my first story is based in one of those.
It was late breakfast time on my first day and the search for decent coffee was on! I found a large, busy coffee shop not too far from where we were staying and, coffee in hand, sat at a table where I had a view of the serving counter. My attention kept being drawn to the barista who had served me – an affable young man in his twenties. I’ll call him “Oskar”.
As I asked Holy Spirit what He wanted to show me about Oskar, I immediately heard/sensed the words “He is not far from the Kingdom”. An encouraging beginning! As I waited to hear more, I had a mental image this time of Oskar’s hand sketching in the corner of a note book. He was drawing in black ink with a very fine hand; this wasn’t mere doodling but careful work. Next, I saw Father God begin to write in His own note book with His own hand! I knew He was writing about Oskar. I saw the words “You will never have to walk alone”. And that was the end of the sequence. I could feel something of the deep love of the Father for Oskar in all of this.
Waiting for a lull in the busy line of customers, I eventually went over to Oskar who smiled at my return, expecting me to place another order. But I explained to him about listening to God’s heart for people and that I had a special message just for him if he was willing for me to share it? He nodded with enthusiasm, and I told him the above impressions and images (though I kept to myself the part about him being not far from the Kingdom).
The words I shared with Oskar were like water being poured onto thirsty ground, even though he was taken aback at what was happening here! I could tell he was a person of peace who had not yet come to know the Prince of Peace.
Oskar went on to explain that he is a designer (!) and is always sketching his ideas. He then went on to divulge that he is indeed someone who has always felt a lot of “aloneness” at a deep level, even though he has lots of friends and people around him. The word had landed on a very tender place in him. At this point, another barista made a rather aggressive comment about there being “other customers you know”, so I made ready to leave, not wanting Oskar to get into any trouble with his managers.
‘Would you mind coming to talk with me over here for a moment”? Oskar asked me. He was very eager to continue our conversation. He assured me that he wouldn’t get into trouble, and we walked to the end of the serving counter where it was quieter. I explained to Oskar that there are lies earmarked for our lives by the enemy to keep us from walking freely in who we are, enjoying the love of God. I sensed that the lie over his life is that he will always be alone. No matter how he tries or how many people he knows, the lie will tell him that he is alone and that it will always be this way. But God is rewriting that story, coming to erase that lie over his life and to fill every lonely, empty place inside him.
“Just you wait and see, Oskar” i proclaimed. “Jesus will bring specific people and situations into your ordinary everyday life at just the right time and you will realise they are part of His overturning of the aloneness.” I went on to explain that, most of all, God Himself wants to fill Oskar so that, night or day, he will never need to walk alone even for a single second. Oskar’s eyes filled with tears. He was not quite ready to ask Jesus to come and fill him there and then, but he said he wanted to do so by himself.
I assured him it is not a complicated or religious thing with special language. Just an honest invitation from a willing heart is all Father God is looking for. And something to which He will gladly and eagerly respond!
Oskar asked for my contact details. Please pray for any future contact I may have with him but especially that this dear soul will not just linger near the Kingdom but will fully enter and embrace his place in the Father’s house, never to be alone again. Glory!