A Last-Minute Seat and an Unexpected Companion

I was on a flight from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale, waiting to see if I would get a seat on standby. Miraculously, I ended up with the last seat on the airplane, all the way in the back.

I was seated next to an elderly Black lady with beautiful silver hair. We greeted each other and settled in. As the flight attendants began their safety presentation, she began to pray. I was sitting by the window, and when I heard her praying, I turned and looked toward her. She seemed a bit uncomfortable when she noticed that I had turned toward her and was briefly watching her pray.

I told her not to feel uncomfortable, as I was a Christian myself and felt reassured knowing she was praying not only for her own safety, but for all of us on the flight.

We talked throughout the three-hour flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She was traveling to meet her daughter, who now lived there, and we shared our love for Yeshua, our Savior, and our faith in God.

When the flight landed and we were parked at the gate, waiting our turn to leave the aircraft, she remained seated because she was waiting for a wheelchair to assist her to arrivals. We looked at each other, and she asked my name. I told her, and she said she was going to pray for me. I then asked her name — it was Rose, as beautiful as she was in soul and heart. I told her that I would pray for her as well.

Before I left, she leaned toward me and said, “If we don’t see each other again, we will see each other in heaven.” I was completely speechless, such a beautiful and heartfelt send-off. Not a goodbye, but a see you soon in heaven.

I smiled at her and replied, “Yes, we will see each other again in heaven.” I wished her well and made my way toward the exit of the aircraft. Before stepping out, I looked back at her once more. She smiled, I smiled, and then I stepped out.

I never forgot Rose. She remains in my heart and mind, and I often pray for her. I wonder if she is still alive. If not, I know she is with God. This is a memory I will never forget, nor would I want to. It is rare to meet someone like her, a true person of faith and love for God.

Has anything like this ever happen to you? Is there a person or situation that has imprinted your memory to never forget. When I think about this memory a few passages come to heart.

Divine Encounters & God-Appointed Meetings

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

⁹ A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Psalm 37: 22-24 NKJV
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [a]cut off.

23 The steps of a good man are [b]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Hebrews 13:2 NKJV
2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. (Was Rose maybe an angel? I will know when I am in heaven)

Prayer & God’s Protection

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 91:11 NKJV
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

Unity in Faith & Fellowship

Matthew 18:20 NKJV
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Romans 1:12 NKJV
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Heaven & Eternal Hope

“If we don’t see each other again, we will see each other in heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 NKJV
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Love That Leaves a Mark

“Rose stayed with you long after the flight”

1 John 4:16 NKJV
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.