A Song, Coffee, and God’s Surprise

On a recent Saturday morning, my daughter and I set out for a bit of shopping and then popped into Wimpy for a meal. At the table opposite us sat a young couple, having coffee. As I glanced at them, I sensed a nudge from the Holy Spirit to give them a word.

I asked the Holy Spirit what I should say to them. Almost instantly, the lyrics of an old song came to mind, about trusting the Lord in troubled times. Thinking singing to them would be too weird, I dismissed the thought. But it wouldn’t leave, so rather reluctantly, I went over and asked if I may sit with them for a moment, explaining that I believed God had a song for them. To my relief, they graciously agreed, (LOL) allowing this “weird old lady” to sing softly to them.

I thought I noticed a flicker of emotion in the husband’s eyes as I sang. They both thanked me warmly, and the wife asked if she could give me a hug. That hug was long and tight, almost like a daughter clinging to a mother.

As we chatted, I learned they were Christians from Uganda who had been in South Africa for quite some time. Later, I wished I had lingered longer to hear more of their story. But just then, our order arrived, and I wished them well with a blessing before returning to my table.

I said to my daughter, Cindy, “I felt I should pay for their coffee.” So, we asked the waitress to add the young couple’s coffee to our bill, anonymously. We finished our meal and went to pay, and to our absolute shock and  surprise, our bill had been fully paid. We were both at a total loss for words!  Except to thank our good, good Father, who delights in surprising his kids even to 80-plus year olds like me. I became so consciously aware in that moment of God’s goodness and kindness following us all the days of our lives as promised in Psalm 23.

*AI Image generated for illustrative purpose.