Christina checked in with the receptionist and found a seat in the waiting room. Dr. Marshall was a great doctor, but because she spent so much time with each patient, the wait was usually long. Christina reached into her purse to pull out her phone, but a woman with long dark hair approached.

            “Do you mind if I sit with you?” the woman asked.

            Christina blinked. No one ever asked her that in the waiting room before. “No, please sit down. I’m Christina.”

            “Jen,” the woman said, extending her hand. “Have you been waiting long?”

            Christina laughed. “No, not yet. But I’m sure I will.”

            “I know, right? I love Dr. Marshall, but she does tend to get a bit behind. That’s why I thought you might like to chat.” Jen cocked her head. “Unless you have something else you need to do?”

            She could be checking email, making her grocery list, or even reading the next chapter of her novel, but something about Jen drew Christina in. “Chatting sounds wonderful. It will keep my mind off the shot I know Dr. Marshall will make me get.”

            Jen nodded. “Yeah, I hate shots too, but sometimes they’re needed. It is the start of flu season, after all. So what do you do for a living?”

            “I’m a receptionist at a law firm. I answer the phones, organize files, that sort of thing. What about you?”

            Jen’s gaze was thoughtful. “I’m kind of a receptionist, too. I’m a 911 operator.”

            Christina blinked. “Wow. That must be fascinating. I’m sure you get much more interesting calls than I do. I spend half my time taking down messages about tedious legal cases.”

            “We get calls about break-ins and fires sometimes, but usually they’re medical emergencies. A lot are false alarms, though. Sometimes kids call.”

            Christina shifted in her seat. “Does that get annoying?”

            “No. We have to answer every call as if it’s a life-or-death situation. We calm people down and tell them what to do, then send them the right kind of help, if needed. I love the job, but sometimes I get the night shift, which isn’t my favorite.”

            “That’s so interesting. I never really thought about it before. I guess there’s someone on the line all the time.”

            Jen folded her hands. “Of course. You can’t get a busy signal or a voicemail when you have an emergency. Sometimes you need the ambulance to come right away.”

            Christina shrugged out of her jacket. The room was getting warm. “Makes sense. Just like here. As much as I liked Dr. Marshall, I certainly wouldn’t come to this office if I were having trouble breathing or having chest pains.”

            “Exactly. Sometimes you need help right away.”

            A prompting stirred in Christina and she swallowed hard. She wasn’t much of an evangelist, but something told her she should speak up. “It’s kind of like with God.”

            Jen’s brow creased. “What do you mean?”
            “We never get a busy signal or voicemail with God, either. He’s available whenever we need Him. He’s always listening to our prayers.”

            Jen’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you really think so?”

            Christina’s heart beat faster in her chest. “I know so. He loves us and wants to hear from us all the time. Even about the little things in our lives.”

            “What about the big things? The scary things?”

            “Especially those things. You can pray about anything and God will speak to you. He might not give you the answer you want, but you can bet He’ll be glad to hear from you.”

            Jen put a hand on Christina’s arm and leaned close. “I’m here today because I found a lump in my breast. I’m scared.”

            Christina drew in a breath. “Would you like to pray with me?”

            Jen nodded. “Can you do it? I don’t have a lot of practice.”

            Christina took Jen’s hand and prayed. Prayed for Jen’s health, for peace, for comfort, for wisdom for the medial staff. But mostly she prayed for Jen to get to know the Lord more. For her to feel His presence in her life. When she finished, she released Jen’s hand and opened her eyes. Jen’s eyes were shining with tears.

           “Thank you,” she mouthed.

           Christina finally did pull out her phone. But this time, it wasn’t to check messages or read. This time it was for a real-life connection. She handed it to Jen. “Put your number in here. I can’t promise I’ll be available 24/7 the way the 911 center and God are, but I’m happy to talk with you whenever you need a friend or a prayer.”

Matthew 20: 29-34

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

God, thank You so much for always hearing us. You’re never too busy for Your children. No matter what You’re doing, or how many things You’re doing, you always listen to us, hear our prayers, speak to us, and give us comfort. There is such peace in knowing You are always there for us, even though we don’t reach out nearly enough. Please help us remember to turn to You first, no matter our circumstance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.