What Happened The Day I Asked God “What Should I Do Next?”
Have you ever had an experience that was so unexpected, and frankly bizarre, that you knew it had to have been orchestrated by God?
I’ve had a few in my life. Most recently one happened back in December, a few days after I had gotten back from a mini vacation. It was the weekend and it was unseasonably warm, in the high 50’s. So I decided to take advantage of the nice day and go for a walk in my favorite part of the city, Wissahickon Park.
It’s a short 10-minute drive from my house, but once you get down into the valley and on the trail, you feel like you could be a hundred miles away from the city. It’s where I go to escape and to talk to God.
On this particular Saturday I was walking and listening to a podcast about one of my favorite artists, Dolly Parton. (Having lived in Texas and Tennessee while I was growing up, I have always loved country music, and there is just something to Dolly’s unique storyteller voice and personality that I have loved from a young age.) I remember listening to the podcast and praying. I was thanking God for getting me through another holiday season, thanking Him for all the good things that were in my life now. And then I asked a few questions. I remember saying,
“Life is going really well, physically, financially, and spiritually things seem to be on a better track than ever before. What should my dream be for the future?
. . . What should I do next, God?”
Now I don’t know about you, but when I ask God a question, I never get an instant answer. Usually He reveals the answer slowly over time so my heart has a chance to grasp it and adjust to whatever it is He is calling me to do.
Well this time it happened differently.
As I was walking the trail there were many other people out and about. I had a hat pulled down low and wasn’t really making eye contact or conversation with anyone. So, when this tall man in a t-shirt with long messy hair made eye contact and started slowly walking directly towards me, I didn’t know what to make of it. I thought he would change his direction or break the eye contact, but no. There was something in his face that made me slow down, turn off my headphones and listen to him. Then he fell to his knees and through tears falling down his face and his voice cracking said,
“I need Jesus to save me.”
At this point God had my attention.
I was confused at first to say the least, I’m a hardcore introvert who doesn’t go out of their way to talk to people I don’t know. But after a few moments I realized he had dropped his cell phone and that someone was on the other line. I got him to tell me it was his dad and could hear his dad yelling for him to hand the phone to me.
Turns out this young man, let’s call him John, was lost and under the influence of a few things. His parents were worried about his safety to himself and others and were trying to get the police to get him some help. But we were on a trail in the middle of the woods and John was not exactly giving the best directions.
The next 45 minutes are mostly a blur . . . from sitting next to John on the bench trying to make him feel safe, to talking to 911 dispatchers multiple times so they could locate us, to then explaining the entire situation to the cops and paramedics that showed up. It was not how I expected my day to go.
The police officer thanked me for stopping to help John when no one else did. And I answered honestly,
“I came out here to have a talk to God, so I figured I should listen when He spoke.”
It wasn’t the type of answer I expected when I asked God, “What’s next?” But, in my opinion, it was clearly an experience that was organized by Him.
More than anything, that experience taught me that we are all hurting. No matter how great our lives may look on the outside, no matter how happy we may seem, sometimes we all just need a little help—and to know that we aren’t alone.
And sometimes God will put someone in your life at exactly the right moment to give you exactly what you need to make it to the next day. That day I had the opportunity and the ability to help John, and that experience gave me the hope that one day someone else would be there for me when I need help.
Going back to my love of all things Dolly Parton, she has a song that I’ve listened to on repeat lately, called Light of a Clear Blue Morning. It’s not one of the famous ones I grew up hearing, but a woman on the podcast I was listening to said she would play it over and over during a hard time in her life and it would help her get through the day. And the lyrics really speak to me.
“It's been a long dark night
And I've been a waitin' for the morning
It's been a long hard fight
But I see a brand new day a dawning
I've been looking for the sunshine
You know I ain't seen it in so long
But everything's gonna work out just fine
And everything's gonna be all right
That's been all wrong'Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
Oh, and everything's gonna be all right
It's gonna be okay”
Sometimes we all just need a little help.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Larson was born in California and moved around a bit until ending up in Philly back in 2014. She grew up a self proclaimed bookworm and has enjoyed reading ever since her 3rd grade teacher let her devour every Nancy Drew book the classroom shelf had to offer. After studying Literature and History in college Sarah ended up using her reading, writing, and storytelling skills in the Communications department for a non-profit in Center City. She loves exploring different parts of the Wissahickon Valley Park, listening to new crime podcasts, and a good chai tea latte.