By Claudia Koenig
Once, as I walking into Trader Joe’s, I said to God, “God you have saved souls in every store that I have gone to except Trader Joe’s.” I then looked around and thought, “Well the people that work here are very different, so I can understand.” The next thing I know, Jesus is saving souls in this store almost every time I walk into it!
This week, as I was going to check out my groceries, I looked at all the cashiers and asked the Lord, “Which one, Lord? Which cashier do you want to talk to and save?” I went towards a young woman.
As she checked out my groceries, we talked about the country she was from and her birth country, America. Her English was a bit broken. I asked her if she had ever heard about Jesus. She said she sometimes went to a Catholic Church. I told her God wanted her to know Him personally, and I asked her if she would like to know Him. She said that she would. I then asked if she would like to pray to know him, and she said that she would like that. So, as she and I sacked my groceries, she prayed, believing in Christ as her personal Savior. She thanked me with such a warm smile. It was so sweet! I asked her if she had a Bible. She said that she didn’t, so I told her I would get one for her. I went to the car to get a DVD on Jesus to give to her. When I gave it to her, I explained what it was. She received that DVD as if it were a treasure and placed it in her pocket right away.
I left for the next grocery store. Afterwards, I recalled that I had forgotten an item from Trader Joe’s. My thought was, “Okay, Jesus, who is it that you are sending me back for?”
I got the item and looked at a young man who was a cashier. I thought, “Oh, Lord, I cannot talk to that young man. His eyes look so weird.” But, I approached him anyway. His name tag read, “Zack.” I asked him how he got that name. He said, “My mother wanted to name me Zackary. But, she named me Zachariah.” That was my open door to talk to him about the Zachariah of the Bible. He listened with great interest. I asked him if would like to know the God of the Bible. He said he would not even know how to do that. I asked him again if he would like to know. He responded that he would. We prayed, and he gave his life to Jesus, the Son of the God of the Bible. As he prayed, all of a sudden, his eyes looked normal.
He thanked me over and over, overjoyed! We then talked about the Bible. He had one. I shared with him where and how to read it. As he looked in my eyes, his eyes became clearer and, suddenly, they looked free! Jesus, the One who sets the captive free!
“Abba, Father, I had no idea where the conversation with the young woman was going to go, especially with her broken English, but You, who are the language of Love, reached her heart for salvation in Your Son.”
“Jesus, how is it that when you are after souls, You do not stop? But, You send us back when You have one soul that may have been overlooked. Savior of Souls, how passionate You are to have them!”
“Holy Spirit, thank you that I forgot that item, so that I had to go back to the store for the soul that God was drawing to Himself for salvation. Thank You!”
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. - Isaiah 49:15
His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. - Psalm 21:5
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) - 2 Corinthians 6:2
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, - Ephesians 1:13
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. - John 8:32
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. - John 8:36
All Scripture is from the KJV.