God Sent Andy

August 1 2023

It’s been two years now since my wife passed and I am trying to figure out the next chapter in my life. I don’t mean this from a romantic relationship standpoint, but what is the will of God for me as it relates to His kingdom.

Before I go out to walk every morning, I spend time in prayer. My time with God is special to me because I am so thankful to Him for His goodness and mercy towards me. I don’t ask for much for myself and most of my prayers after I finish praying for my family, are for others. Others is a broad category of people.

On this particular day I prayed and asked God to show me the next chapter in my life. I want to spend my time wisely and focus on what He has planned for me. As I was walking I got a call from Andy. Andy is a former coworker and a good friend. We didn’t start out being friends. As a matter of fact, we had a misunderstanding regarding a work related matter wherein I took strong exception to something he did. I told him how I felt about it and for the next several months, our interaction was very limited.

Months later, Andy decided to make a career move that would have him working closely with me and my organization. He invited me to lunch and wanted to know how I felt about him joining our business line. I knew he was referring to the incident that occurred months ago. I told him honestly I had forgotten what happened and I didn’t hold grudges. I welcomed him to the team.

We went on a business trip sometime later to meet with a client and as we drove back to my operations facility in Springfield Ohio, we got routed through the backroads. It was just the two of us so we had a chance to spend a whole lot of time together talking and really getting to know one another. We discovered we both had a strong love for Jesus. A true bond was formed that day.

Andy had a son who was born with birth defects and they knew before his birth he would experience many challenges. In spite of the forewarning from the medical doctors, they refused to abort their son because of their spiritual beliefs and values. Kelson would die nine years later. I watched the difficult times they faced over a three to four year period. My heart went out to him and his family and especially his wife since she was his primary caretaker most of the time. It’s been three years now since his death. It was hard on Andy and his family. I supported him as much as I could through that dark time in his life. He truly grieved the loss of his son.

As I walked on that Friday morning I got a call from my dear friend. He was calling just to check on me. We had a long conversation. One of the questions he asked me during our discussion was “what is the next chapter in Gary Turner’s life”? Of course I was shocked because it was the same question I asked God not more than fifteen minutes earlier. I responded by saying “God had you to call me today. Your timing is always impeccable”. I went on to tell him about my prayer and I believed God was letting me know through his call that He heard my petition. Isn’t God good!

Many times we get the feeling that God is not concerned, He doesn’t hear our prayers and He is distant from us. That is far from the truth. He does hear us and He is always concerned about us. God will send an “Andy” to let us know we are on His mind and that He has not abandoned or relaxed His hold on us. Don’t ignore the people God may be sending to you with a message of hope. It is not a coincidence. It is divinely orchestrated and He is letting you know you are not forgotten and He will fulfill every promise He made.

I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life. I don’t have any idea what it is yet, but I am certain it will be rewarding and fulfilling. God will be glorified.