Have you ever had God just drop someone in your lap? Have him put someone right in your path?

Last week I received a text from someone whom I will call "Sarah." She said, "I don't know if this is still ur # but I was just thinking about y'all/ I really hope hope everyone's doing well. I really miss u. This is Sarah, by the way."

The text did not come up with any name, meaning that "Sarah" was not in my phone. I did,however, know several "Sarahs," so I racked my brain to try to think who might be sending this. But I soon realized that we did not know each other. Here is the rest of this amazing conversation.

Sarah - "Oh. I'm sorry. I used to have a friend named [Susan] that had this #. I guess she doesn't have it anymore. Sorry to have bothered u."

James - "No problem. I hope that God guides you in helping you find her. I am a minister--I will pray for you and her, if this is okay."

Sarah - "Wow. Thank u for telling me that. I have been going thru so much & I thought of her becuz she's a Christian & she's the one who finally convinced me to go to church & she's the ONLY "religious" person I know who IS NOT a hypocrite.

She's the sweetest most caring person I've ever known & u just made me cry rt now. U just made me feel like God hasn't given up on me even though I back slid & am so ashamed of the things I've done this last year.

I'm sorry I'm telling u this but I feel like God put u in this very spot at this very moment in time to tell me he still loves me. Thank u sooo much."

James - "[Sarah], I am so glad that I could be an encouragement to you in some small way! Wow--God seems to have brought about this connection. I will definitely be praying for you tonight."

Sarah - "Thank u"

James - "God never gives up on us, though at times it seems that we are in such a black hole that it is hard to see him and we can feel abandoned. But he never abandons us. Do you have children? I have three beautiful daughters, and there is nothing that they could do to cause me to stop loving them. That is how God looks on you. When he thinks of you, he smiles!

Sarah - "I have 2, a 21 yr old daughter & a 19 yr old son."

James - "Then you may know what it means for God to love us no matter what."

Sarah - "I do but I faltered & I'm so ashamed."

James - "I am so sorry too that you have encountered some hypocritical Christians. All of us make mistakes. But there many people like your friend Laura who genuinely love God and love people. God can take away your shame. There is nothing we cannot be forgiven for if we turn to him."

Sarah- "I truly hope there r but I've just never known anyone like her, personally. Thank u so much for all the encouragement. I really needed it."

This "God encounter" made me think. I could have just ignored the text. When I found out that I did not know "Sarah," then I could have just dropped the conversation. But something tugged on me to offer to pray for her. And she certainly believed that God was behind this, to let her know that he still loved her.

And perhaps this was a test or opportunity for me, to show love to others. Hebrews 13:3 says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

What do you think? Do you think that God was behind this encounter? Have you had "God encounters" like this? Why are we often skeptical of attributing these types of encounters with God?