“What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!” Numbers 23:11 (HCSB)
If you read through this story in Numbers 23, you will see the Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites. However, Balaam, as per God's instruction in Numbers 22:12, was told:
Then God said to Balaam, “You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”
Did the Israelites know all of this was going on? Did they see God's hand of protection on them? God had his hand on them over and over and over and over again! Did they know that Balaam was interceding for them? {I don't think they did!}
Does God allow us to see His Hand of protection upon us?
Sometimes.
And this is just one time.
I need to back up to May of 2017. My son's senior year. He was all excited to head off to college. He couldn't wait. I was apprehensive. Would it go well? Would it go will with me having him away? Maybe I was more apprehensive about him leaving than he was about leaving.
I remember attending the spring leader's gathering my Moms in Prayer Area Coordinator was hosting. I walked in and was introduced to someone whose name I had heard, Barb. I also knew that she lived in the same county where my son's college was. I remember walking over to her and saying, "I need to get to know you and we need to talk!"
What a delightful time we had! She told me she was already praying for my son's college ~ as it's a school her Moms in Prayer group prays for. She also let me know she knew the family of his track coach. Oh how this blessed this apprehensive momma!
We later gathered together at her house - my whole crew of five kids and my husband to connect with her and her husband around their swimming pool. She offered to help my son if he needed anything. [Not that an 18 year old college student would take her up on it!]
Fast forward to February 2019. I signed up to pray for my son's college for the Collegiate Day of Prayer. Guess who else had signed up to pray for his college? Barb!
March 27. It was my usual day to pray with my high school/middle school Moms in Prayer group. We gather for one hour each week to pray for our children and schools. This week was also the every-other-week time to gather and pray for my son's college along with two other moms. Except. Those two other moms couldn't make it. I already had this time set aside.
I decided to contact my friend, Cindy, who works full-time. BUT, she recently had foot surgery. She would be off work for several weeks. I had asked her to come to Moms in Prayer with me that day, but she wasn't able to leave the house. Realizing no one could come to our Moms in Prayer time, I decided to text and ask if I could come to Cindy's house. She responded with a yes! My prayer sheet was already made and ready, so after praying for our high school and middle school, off I went to her house.
We had started praying and were following the four steps as outlined by Moms in Prayer. We had finished praying for my son, and were praying for her son. Confession: I looked at my phone. I had just gotten a text from my son at college. It said:
I read the text to Cindy and we immediately started praying for my son. I texted my son back to let him know that i was praying with Cindy and we were praying for him at that moment. Little did I know how big it would be. The next text I got from my son said:
I then called my son. Because what else is a mother to do?
My son couldn't talk for very long. Cindy and I proceeded to pray. We finished up and I asked her for some time just to sit on her couch and send texts/emails. I tried to call my husband, but had to send texts due to his schedule.
My next text was to Barb. Who better to ask to intercede than Barb who had been praying for this college even before my son started attending? She proceeded to contact her Moms in Prayer group to "mobilize" the prayers! We also started to pray for a friend of hers who works a the college.
The day unfolded with many texts, a few phone calls, many tears and many more prayers.
What we learned is that my son's teammate and classmate had passed away in his sleep. No foul play. Just never woke up. 20 years old. The promise of his future and enjoying his time at the college were gone.
Where did that leave us? With a saddened, hurt, broken, angry, desperate team. Some students who had never experienced death.
However, my son knew that this was part of a bigger story. He knew God has His hand on and still does have his hand on his college.
So he reached out to his coach, and his leaders for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Now it "just so happens" {read: God!} that he also has a teammate whose dad is a pastor. It also "just so happens" {read: God} that he lost a high school classmate in the fall of 2017. And it "just so happens" {read: God} that his teammates pastor father did the funeral for that classmate.
In ways only God can work, the pastor, coach, one FCA leader (who "just so happens" {read: God} to attend said Pastor's church) were all able to connect . They were all able to coordinate and a service at the college was starting to be planned.
But think of all God did in preparation for this time:
I was praying with Cindy AT THE TIME I GOT THE TEXT.
Two friends couldn't be at Moms in Prayer, but God provided Cindy.
I met Barb almost two years prior.
Barb had been interceding for years for this college.
Barb knew someone at the college who would have a direct impact on this situation.
The Pastor had a daughter on the team.
The Pastor had already done the service for one of my son's classmates
The FCA leader knew the Pastor.
