The trip had been pretty much uneventful for the pastor. The time volunteering to drive the disaster relief truck had represented a welcome break from the rigors of leading a small church. His 53 foot trailer was loaded top to bottom, side to side and front to back with a cargo of shoes on their way to the hard-hit Indonesian coast ravaged by the tsunami of 2004. 

Hunger had driven him into the truck stop. But little did he know God had arranged an appointment for him.

The hurried meal was over. His thick bug collection on the windshield and headlights had been carefully removed. A brief pre-trip inspection proved what he already knew; the truck and all its equipment was in tip-top shape. Just a few more moments to make an entry in his logbook and he would melt back into the endless train of loaded trucks headed for who knows where from the factories and warehouses of Chicago. 

The driver became aware there was someone moving purposefully from truck to truck down the long line of idle vehicles. In seconds, the man climbed up onto the steps of his tractor and grabbed hold of the mirror bracket on one side and the grab bar on the other. His uniform and professional smile disarmed the driver, prompting him to lower the window and ask what the man wanted. Turns out he was a recruiter for a major trucking company trying to hire drivers away from their current job. 

It didn't take long for the pastor to run his flag up and let the recruiter know his plate was already full. Of course, that led to questions about the disaster relief organization. Which led to a discussion of God and His push to help the helpless. 

Within minutes the busy driver had scrapped his carefully laid trip plans and had invited the recruiter into his truck. Shortly, the man was pouring his heart out, weeping over personal problems that were overwhelming his coping mechanisms. Not the least of his concerns was the fact that his wife had just been diagnosed with cancer. 

His shoulders shook with grief. Tears flowed as he related the seriousness of her prognosis. 

The driver's small travel Bible fell open to familiar verses underlined and crinkled with tears from previous encounters with the impossibilities of life. Soon, prayer filled the front office of the Convoy of Hope tractor trailer that just "happened" to be at that truck stop at that time for that broken heart nearly swamped by the tragedies engulfing his life. If any tiny detail had been different, the paths of the pastor and the recruiter might never have converged. 

Only God could arrange two busy schedules so that the need encountered compassion in a timely fashion. 

Hmmm...is it possible that's what Psalm 37:23 is driving at?

Schedules can be rearranged.  Especially when lives hang in the balance. 

Be led of the Lord dear ones!

A servant,

Richard Orrell