My husband invited me to attend a Matson Money business conference with him last week where not only did they talk about the health of the US dollar, but had a variety of speakers on mindset and the future. We also spent one rainy day at Epcot, and after a busy week we were were looking forward to returning home.
We woke up to a tropical storm Saturday morning that pelted against our hotel window. As I looked out I could see all the rafts getting blown around in the pool as palm trees swayed to and fro. It was an impressive storm. We had checked the weather and were grateful there wouldn’t be any rain later that day when we were scheduled to fly home. Mid morning we got a phone call from a friend asking, “Did you see your email? Did your flights get cancelled too?” We hadn’t noticed prior to his call, but yes, unfortunately, there was no record of our flights. They had disappeared off our App and we couldn’t access boarding passes anymore. My husband tried buying the same flights as he had deadlines to return for, and we weren’t even sure those would work. Oh the suspense. A few hours went by and we got another phone call, “Where are you? You better get to the airport right now. There are at least 1,000 people in the checked-bag line!” You see, the storm had created a remarkable domino effect of cancelled flights that would insert itself into our travel plans. We were completely unaware that the airport had turned into a great sea of people. At that point, our stomachs sank and we didn’t even know if we would be able to get home.
On our way out to Florida I enjoyed reading some great books where the power of faith and Enoch were mentioned. I am so intrigued by this man who lived his life in such a way that he could call down the very powers of heaven, move mountains, change the course of a river, and much more. His story is so compelling and quite honestly I had a desire stir in my heart to learn more about the prayer of faith. I wondered how do you grow your faith to an Enoch level? When we ended up in this traveling predicament, I decided to experiment (Alma 32:27). I had come across a mountain in the shape of 1,000 people in a check bag line, plus a security line, with questionable tickets potentially blocking me from getting home. There was a 2 hour wait to connect with customer service so we did the best option of all. We asked of God for His help.
In addition to studying, I realize that in order to grow Enoch type faith we need to practice faith. I took some time to ask in prayer for specific help in getting home, and then I felt a sweet peace. I could have easily continued to worry about how it was all going to work out. However, when I noticed myself worrying — I would take my mind back to the peace I had felt, knowing God had heard my prayer. Whatever the day would bring I knew everything would be ok — but what happened when we got to the airport surprised me!
With skies still cloudy and grey, we got out of the Uber ride and started to unload our luggage. As we entered the lengthy curbside line to check our bags, we were prepared for a long wait. Only seconds after entering the line, we were surprised to hear a voice from behind say, “Can I help you with your luggage?” I immediately answered, “Yes!” He asked us to put our luggage to the side so we wouldn’t upset other people in line, and then he proceeded to get our boarding passes and said he would take care of getting our luggage on the plane. The tip we gave him was some of the best money we have ever spent. This employee mentioned they also had a conveyor belt broken so he had to manually take the luggage to another area for it to be loaded on the plane. We had caught him on a return trip. He said, “You are really lucky. This airport is crazy today.”
So I ask, did you see luck in this story or did you see an answer to my prayer? I know what I saw: A few steps away from our Uber ride, God had an answer waiting for me. When the man finished taking our luggage he said “God bless you,” several times. I believe Heavenly Father had prepared a way for us because of a prayer of faith. We were literally able to walk past hundreds of people and get to our gate without incident. It was miraculous. I only wish I had taken my cell phone out and recorded the scene so you could really understand the context.
Where our conscious minds didn’t see a way to make it home that day, God knew how to make it happen. In this case it included a few thoughtful phone calls from a friend, it included being open to possibility, and it included accepting God’s perfectly orchestrated timing. That is a really important lesson for the timeline in which we live. Unnerving things are happening in our world, and more than ever before it’s important to elevate our level of faith. May we strive to trust that we have heavenly help. It is my witness there will be times ahead when faith in God will provide a way for us to meet our Everests. I trust Him. I am thankful for Him. I know He hears and answers prayers in His own time and in His own way. I encourage you to look for one obstacle you face this week and ask God for help. You might just be surprised at the outcome like me.