When God’s girls meet
Martha Olawale
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Psalm 46”4-5
I was so excited to receive a text from a friend I’d not seen in about four years, asking to meet for lunch because she was in town. I replied to Patty’s text that night, telling her I’d be there. I also texted her before leaving home the next day to let her know I was on my way and would see her in about thirty minutes.
Unbeknown to me, somehow, she did not see either of my texts and decided that her husband would drop her off at the public library. When I got to the address she sent, she was surprised to receive my call because she thought I hadn’t responded the day before and wouldn’t show up. Regardless, I was determined to see her, so we drove to the library, where I saw her sitting on the bench outside.
After the hugs, we were about to walk inside to find a place to talk when we saw Anna, a mutual friend, entering the library. I spent time with Anna two weeks before that day, sharing our hearts for Christ, the Kingdom, and the depth to which we believe God is calling us. However, although the three of us were in the Women’s SOAP ministry together years prior, because Patty moved, we have not been in the same space since 2019.
Anna told us about the unusual circumstances that led her to the library; like us, she wasn’t supposed to be there but came anyway. At that point, we all knew there was more to God, knitting the stories together for us to meet there. God divinely crafted it, and we treated that time with awe of our Heavenly Father.
A few weeks prior, I’d told my husband I felt a need that many women are seeking to dig deeper in their walk with Jesus. I told him I didn’t know how, but I believed God was making room for Christian women to reach higher in their walk with Him. A call I felt to be a step beyond being rattled by our emotions and geared by the affirming call of God over each of our lives.
I love God-ordained moments, and I don’t toy with them. That might not be the first time Patty would be visiting, but God had plans for that day. The dots between the lines and the complexity of how the three of us met in that space and time can’t be coincidental in the best man-written story. We were not supposed to be there but somehow ended up there.
While there were people around us that afternoon, they did not deter us from drawing from the river of grace inside one another. Right there in the library’s restaurant, we shared stories and talked about God and His purpose for our lives, the Church, and the world. We were there for two hours, and it felt like minutes. I was so fired up that I wrote a months-worth article for Abiding Christian the next day.
Sitting between these two women in the most unlikely place that day was somewhat overwhelming, and it triggered a resolve to ignite that same awesome feeling in my Christian friends. We are more than pretty faces in pretty dresses; we are warriors of an eternal Kingdom. I know it doesn’t matter where, how, when, or what age we are. It only matters who we are: daughters of Zion.
I believe God is calling an assemble, telling us to push beyond our comfort zone, heed the clarion sound, and walk in His call over our lives. The world might underestimate the power of “The one” that chases a thousand, but “The two” that chases ten thousand (Deuteronomy 32:20) is a different story. We are here for a reason, in the time and space that God places us in, and maximizing His grace to show forth His glory always puts us ahead of the devil’s wiles.
