I was on a hiking trip last week in Yosemite National Park with a childhood friend from 6th grade when God gave me a huge God wink. When I say God wink, I mean when God gives you a coincidental situation that opens your eyes to his message and purposes. God had a message, plan, and purpose for my friend and I that day, and he wanted us to know it.
My childhood friend Regeana and I had packed up our backpacks and headed out for a morning hike. We knew the hike was going to be difficult as we had heard that night before at dinner from a British couple who had hiked the trail that day. They told us that we would get soaking wet climbing Vernal Falls, and that we should find an alternate route down the falls as the steps were, slick, steep, and submerged in water.
Unfortunately, our hike was delayed by about 3 hours. At first we were told that there was parking at the trailhead. When we got there, all of the parking in the extra dirt lot was used up. So, we went to plan B. Find another parking lot to park in and ride the shuttle bus back to the trailhead. If you have ever been to Yosemite you know that it is a little bit like Disney World. Wear comfortable shoes for lots of walking, bring your cameras to snap pictures of the memorable sites, pack your own food because you will get hungry, and be prepared to ride a shuttle bus from attraction to attraction. Long story short, we missed the correct bus stop and ended up riding around the valley floor for another hour or so.
As I sat on the bus, I read one of my daily devotionals as I do every single day. The tile was "Thirsty and Thankful." It was a story about two friends hiking in the Grand Canyon. The two friends ran out of water and started praying for help. But God...someone had left a note with three water bottles and they spotted them and drank them. Something the writer of the article quoted as a miracle.
I thought this was the God wink to me and my friend as we were about to set out on a long hard hike with over 5 miles ahead of us and about 2000 feet in elevation to climb. None of my devotionals had ever been about two friends going hiking. I felt the irony and coincidence in my spirit in that moment. I shared it with my friend Regeana too. And I wondered also if my friend Regeana and I had enough water to make it to the end of our day's journey. I thought this was the God wink in itself and made sure to fill up my water bottles at the next available fountain area.
As Regeana and I climbed this very difficult trail, I prayed to God for help to get us to the top safely. It was grueling and quite possibly the most diffcult hike I had done in the last ten years. The need for water and the Holy Spirit's help was great. Not only was it regular water that I needed but God's Holy Spirit power through His living water that I needed more. "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them" (John 7: 38 NIV).
At one point as I spoke to God while hiking up the trail, I was sure I heard him say to my spirit, "well you asked for an adventure." I chuckled to myself and kept climbing those wet, slick steps faithful that God would get us both to the top.
We did eventually make it to the top and took a nice break to rest, refuel, and take pictures of our adventure. I thanked God for all of his help! As we continued upon our journey, we ran into a younger couple a few times as we would stop to take short breaks and catch our breath. I could tell that the woman was very tired and was struggling. She would sit down each time they stopped. At one point they asked us a few questions about the trail and it became apparent that they had run out of water.
Without hesitation, my friend Regeana reached in her backpack and pulled out a fresh, unopened water bottle and gave it to the woman. She said to us, "You are angels." We shook our heads no that we weren't, but to the woman that day, we were.
Now, that was the real God wink. Sometimes God delays your plans because he has a greater purpose in mind. God is always working behind the scenes even when you don't see it. Not only were Regeana and I blessed by this amazing hike, God's natural creation, and by our friendship; but we were a blessing to others that day too. We just had to wait a little bit longer for the blessing. Often, I have found that there are blessings in the delays and that God has a greater purposes while he makes you wait for what you want. And sometimes the blessings and lessons are in the journey itself. So, don't give up when God sends a delay! Keep climbing and listen and watch for the God winks along the way.
Be Blessed,
Allison
