After a long and stressful return flight from an assignment in Central Asia, my plane landed at London’s Heathrow Airport. I felt ill and exhausted, but no one was meeting me. I faced a complicated train trip home, requiring several changes.
On the first part of the journey, I slumped numbly in my seat until it was time to transfer to the following line. Gathering my bags, I stood and dragged them to the door. At that precise moment, I heard a shout of recognition from someone further down the carriage.
“Hey, Debbie! Is that you?”
My head whipped around. To my astonishment, I saw two friends walking toward me with big grins. The three of us had once served on the same mission trip before going our separate ways. The pair explained they were now visiting London for a brief holiday. They didn’t really have anything planned that day and offered to help me get home.
The great city of London is crowded with over ten million people. Hundreds of trains carry tens of thousands of passengers in all directions daily. What are the odds that two friends would occupy the same carriage of the same train at the exact time I needed them?
No one can convince me this meeting was just a happy coincidence. To me, it was tender evidence that God saw my distress and had prepared help in advance, which thrilled my heart.
Sometimes, we all feel that no one cares about our situation. Next time you’re at your wit’s end, stop, look, and listen for the One who loves you best to come to the rescue.
Deborah Meroff served as a missionary writer and photographer for thirty years. While based in London, she was privileged to visit 115 countries and publish scores of articles and a dozen books in various languages. She now resides in Maine, USA.