5/30/2010
The second day had been long and exciting. On the third day we were up and road ready by 7:30. As we drove across Pennsylvania, Jeff and I looked for a church meeting (as it was Sunday morning) but was not led to one. So we pressed on across the state towards Ohio. When traveling Highway 76 West to get to central Ohio, you have to get onto Highway 70 and drive through a small section of West Virginia. We missed the Highway 70 ramp – neither Jeff nor I saw the exchange. It wasn’t our mistake, but God’s detour.
As we were leaving the Pennsylvania Turn Pike and entered into Ohio, we knew what we had done; but it was too late to turn back. We pulled off at the next plaza, and searched the Ohio map for an alternate route. All morning Jeff and I felt drawn to Columbus, Ohio. So the route we chose was to stay on 76 and take 71 South into Columbus. We got out of the van, and anointed a piece of ground; it was there that God prompted us to pray for our national leaders, as we had planned to do in Washington, DC. When the prayers were finished, we headed for the plaza shops for refreshments.
The sounds of a child screaming stopped us in our tracks. A young girl had closed a van door on her younger sister’s hand. After giving the family a few minutes to check on the young child and console the older, I walked over to check on the father. I asked if the children were okay, and then if he was okay. He looked like he was having a heart attack. His answer was a good confession that both the family and he were okay. The younger girl did not even have a scratch on her hand. Shaking the father’s hand, I told him how good it was to see a father’s heart.
As we left the plaza shops, the father stopped us and thanked us for our concern, then asked us to pray with him. The man shared with us that he was moving his family back to his grassroots because his extended family needed his help. In return we asked him to pray with us. Prayer broke out. We prayed for our leaders, and then for his family and the heart of the man going home to serve.
Once in Columbus, we circled downtown looking for parking; when a place presented it self, we parked. We crossed the street and walked around a large limestone building. We ran into two of the downtown homeless, and ministered to them. We also ran into a well dressed and groomed 85 years old man. The man was sitting alone on a park bench. When we spoke with him, he became excited and started sharing his story. He is the last of his family-line living in the USA. He served in the big war, and said war was a waste and never solved anything. The big war was to be the last war, or so they were told. But, the wars go on. God had us to pray with him and to encourage him in his faith and hope of a better life without wars.
We were weary from the long day the day before and our travels, so we found a room in Columbus for the night. As we traveled Highway 71 searching for a hotel, God instructed me to have a good meal and rest. After checking into the hotel, we went to a nice steak house for dinner. There were quiet times in between courses, and we reflected on the past days events and the people God had brought across our path. God had loved on us all alone the way. God took us 200 miles or more out of our way (not out of His way) to pray with a man moving his family half way across the USA. He put Columbus on our heart to pray for a man who He is calling home soon. God has a plan and a purpose; and when we willing to find joy in His detours to our plans, He leads us from glory to glory.