Have you ever encountered a divine appointment? God uses everything to line up everyone to make it happen. It’s called a miracle, not a coincidence.
A miracle happened at the dentist office. I said to the dentist, “This has been a divine appointment. The Lord went to great lengths to get me here.”
He smiled, “Yes. You don’t know the half of it. For me, it started this morning with a podcast.”
I responded, “For me, it started with a toothache.” I went to the dentist in Pagosa to find I needed a root canal and a crown. They didn’t do those, and would send me to Durango for the work to be done.
That’s when dread, panic and worry began. No dental insurance and a lot of money out of my pocket. I asked the Pagosa dentist, “What’s the least I have to do? I’ll wait.”
“The tooth needs immediate attention. You can’t afford to kick the can down the road.”
I bit down on the decayed tooth and went through the ceiling. “OK. I’ll have to bite the bullet on this one.”
I asked for the costs. When they told me, the amount sent me through the ceiling again. I asked, “Am I paying for you a vacation home in the Caribbean?”
I stewed for a week before the appointment in Durango. My friend asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m a nervous wreck. Just don’t know what to do. It’s going to cost a lot of money for one tooth.” Then I felt the pain. “I don’t have a choice. I need to follow through with the appointment.”
The first dentist’s office took X-rays, and the new dentist also required a full set of X-rays in his office. “But why? I’m paying double for X-rays.” The answer. “He wants his own X-rays.”
It would take four trips to Durango. I had a map of the location. I went around the block several times. Hidden in an alley, in the middle of town, I finally found his office. I was ready to turn around and go home. The first trip was X-rays. Next day the root canal. The third day, a build up for the crown and the fourth, the crown.
I was still not sold on all of it, but the pain drove me to the dentist’s chair. The day didn’t seem like it was pointing to a miracle, a divine appointment, just a dreaded get-it-done kind of day.
Period.
The dentist came in with a blinding white smile. The cost of the experience didn’t give me a blinding smile.
After asking if I wanted music and what kind, they turned on contemporary Christian music.
I closed my eyes and prayed. For two hours I took the dentist into God’s throne room with me.
The dentist worked and I prayed. With the dentist’s steady hand, I sat quietly, knowing something was happening in the spirit world.
He finished after two hours and he was amazed it went so well. Better than he expected, he said, “God was on our side; it went wonderfully.”
“Oh, you must be a Christian.”
He said, “No, but I’m getting there.”
“I know. I was in the throne room praying for you and me. He wants to bless you.”
He said in a sad tone, “I heard a podcast today on the way to work. The world is so dark and sad.”
“I know I have felt the darkness for a long time, too.” He helped me out of the chair and we went into the hall. He pulled me to the end of the hall and whispered, “We can’t talk politics in the office.”
“I’m not talking politics. I’m talking Jesus. There is no logic to all that is going on. Only God knows.”
He said, “Logic has brought me to this point. All this horrible stuff happening, logically, I can’t process it.”
I reassured him, “It’s not going to take logic, but faith in a relationship with Jesus. You must trust Him to make sense. He’s written the story and we win.”
He jumped 2 feet in front of him, “You mean a leap of faith?”
“Yes, that simple.”
With those beautiful white teeth, he gave a sheepish grin and nodded. “OK.”
I went to the counter, pulled out my checkbook and wrote out a check. At that moment, the darkness dissipated, a light shown and I heard the angels singing. Then a peace in my spirit covered me, and I heard, “His soul is worth a lot more than this check. God can take care of the money.”
Two miracles happened at that moment. In my heart and the dentist’s heart. It took a toothache to line me up with God and His perspective about money. The dentist needed someone to open the door and explain the simple act of accepting Jesus as his savior.
Final brushstroke: Sometimes God has to shake heaven and earth in order to get us lined up for a supernatural encounter. The dentist’s soul was in as much pain as the ache in my jaw. I almost missed the miracle.
Send your comment to bettyslade.author@gmail.com. I’d love to share them with the other folks in Pagosa.
Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN.
