When God wants something done, He ordinarily uses ordinary things.
He calls a faithful servant. He gives that person something to do. He works through everyday conversations, everyday responsibilities, everyday acts of obedience. Nothing about it may seem extraordinary at the time.
But every now and then, God does something extraordinary.
Sometimes He arranges what I like to call a divine appointment.
A divine appointment is a conversation you weren't expecting. It's an encounter you couldn't have planned. It's a moment when circumstances come together in such a way that, when it's all over, you look back and say:
“I didn't do that. God did that.”
We see a powerful example of this in the book of Acts through the story of Cornelius and Simon Peter.
Cornelius was a Roman officer—a Gentile. Peter was a Jewish follower of Jesus. Given the cultural and religious divisions of their day, these two men would not have naturally sought each other out.
Yet God had a plan.
Cornelius receives a message from an angel telling him to send men to find a man named Simon Peter. There's even a humorous detail in the instructions: Peter is staying with another man named Simon, so Cornelius's servants have to make sure they find the right Simon!
Meanwhile, God is preparing Peter for the meeting.
What follows is remarkable. A Jewish believer and a Roman officer—two people who, under ordinary circumstances, might never have sat down together—are brought face-to-face by God.
And that encounter becomes part of the beginning of the Gentile mission.
Think about that.
God wasn't simply arranging a conversation between two people.
He was advancing His kingdom through an encounter neither man could have orchestrated on his own.
I wonder how many divine appointments we miss because we're looking for something spectacular.
We may think God has to do something dramatic before we're willing to recognize His hand at work.
But divine appointments can look surprisingly ordinary.
It might be the person who sits beside you.
The conversation you almost didn't have.
The phone call you weren't expecting.
The person who asks you a question at exactly the right moment.
The opportunity to encourage someone.
The stranger who crosses your path.
The friend who suddenly opens up about something they've been carrying.
We don't always know why God brings someone into our path. Sometimes we may not recognize the significance of the moment until much later.
But what if we began each day with a simple prayer:
“Lord, give me one divine appointment today.”
Not necessarily something dramatic.
Not necessarily something that makes headlines.
Just one moment where God wants to use an ordinary conversation, an ordinary act of obedience, or an ordinary encounter to accomplish something only He could arrange.
Praying for divine appointments changes the way we move through our day.
We begin to pay attention.
We become less hurried.
We listen more carefully.
We notice the people around us.
We become willing to interrupt our plans when God opens a door.
And perhaps most importantly, we stop assuming that ordinary moments are insignificant.
Peter probably didn't know everything God was doing when he agreed to meet Cornelius.
But he was willing to go.
And because he went, he became part of something much bigger than himself.
That's often how God works.
He uses ordinary people who are willing to say yes.
So today, before you rush into everything on your schedule, pause and pray:
“God, give me one divine appointment today. Help me recognize the person, conversation, or opportunity You have placed in my path. And when I see it, give me the courage to respond.”
You never know what God might do through one conversation.
You may think you're simply meeting a person.
But God may be building His kingdom.
And when the moment is over, you may find yourself looking back and saying:
“I didn't do that. God did that.”
So here's the question:
What's your divine appointment today?
