Bravo!

Last Friday was another star performance by our Heavenly Father creating a divine appointment for us. Bobby Rowland and I arrived at Centennial high school around 3:00 pm to set up at our usual spot just outside school property on the sidewalk. Since school officially doesn't get out until 3:30 pm, we use this extra time to pray beforehand and occasionally we see a few stragglers stop by that are released early from school. This Wednesday was no different. Our first student was returning from a quick Starbucks run. We asked if we could pray for him. He said, "Sure. I'm performing this Friday and I'm a little nervous about remembering all my lines."

I looked at this aspiring young actor and told him my husband, Mr. Kenney, a teacher at the school asked me if I'd like to go to the school play, Rock of Ages on Friday. "Are you in that play?", I asked him. Now, my husband has been teaching at Centennial for 10 years, and we've never been to a school play. But this year, he wanted to go because two of his students were in the play. When I mentioned this to the student standing before me, he said, "Mr. Kenney's my teacher and I'm in his programming class." We talked a bit more, and then began to ask for God to remove all anxiety and replace it with His peace, confidence and assurance knowing that God is with him and will help him remember all his lines. We thanked God for his unique gifts and talents that bring to joy to others. We prayed for all the performers, crew and staff helping with the play. I told him I would pray again on Friday before the performance. He thanked us and said we prayed like his grandma used to pray for him.

But God was not done connecting more actors into His performance! The next day, my husband went to buy the tickets and ran into the drama teacher directing the play. She said to Brian, "Caleb (the young man we prayed with on Wednesday) came into practice yesterday on cloud nine! He was a totally different kid. He told me your wife prayed for him. Tell her thanks, because those prayers are making a difference!"

Now, y'all know this wasn't me! This was the Holy Spirit directing Caleb to us so we could speak a good and mighty Word over him that he needed at that particular time. We're just God's actors moving where and when He tells to move. We speak the words He gives us to pray with the students.

As Jesus says in John 14:12-14, "Assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

Friday night came and as I sat waiting for the play to begin, I opened the Playbill and turned the pages to find out who this young man was and what character he was playing. To my surprise, he was the FIRST person listed on the Cast List. He was the lead actor! Wow! I had no idea! The play, Rock of Ages is a musical and the cast and crew performed beautifully and beyond our expectations!

Afterwards, my husband and I were waiting for his students to come out and greet the attenders. Caleb and I locked eyes, and I gave him a big hug and told him, "You nailed it!" We didn't need much words between us because we knew God had answered his prayers. His smile told me all I needed to know! What a tremendous success it was for all the cast and crew!

Seriously, what are the odds that out of 3,000 students, the first person to cross our path two days before a major event in his life would say yes to our request to pray for him; and that my husband would ask me for the first time in ten years to attend an annual play whereas his student is the lead actor which I didn't know but minutes before the play began and I would be privileged to see his prayers answered all at once? Bravo, Good and Faithful Father!