Sometimes the things that change our lives arrive with remarkably little fanfare.

Mine arrived in the middle of the pandemic, when a local priest sent me a flyer about an Accompanied Prayer Week being run online.

I knew very little about what I was signing up for. I certainly wasn’t a Bible or theological scholar, and formal prayer outside regular church services wasn’t familiar territory either. My own way of praying is simple. I talk to God as I would talk to a friend.

But something about that flyer drew me, so I applied the same day.

I had no idea what I had just started.

For one week, I met online each afternoon with an accompanier called Paul. We talked about God, prayer and a short Bible passage he had given me to explore, using an ancient practice known as Lectio Divina – a way of reading Scripture slowly and prayerfully, listening for what might particularly speak to you.

I loved it.

Something seemed to open up inside me that week. I spent hours reading, thinking and praying, recording what was happening in my journal. At our closing service, I brought a lighted candle as my symbol of the week – as though a light or fire had been kindled inside me.

And then I got Covid, really badly.

One night, very ill, alone, deteriorating, and struggling to breathe, I had my phone in my hand ready to call an ambulance.

Instead, something happened that I now recognise as a profound moment in my relationship with God.

I completely surrendered.

Lying there that night, I knew I might actually die.

I told God that I didn’t want to die, but if it was His will that my life should end that night, I accepted it. Genuinely and completely. However, I added that if it wasn’t His will, then I REALLY, REALLY could do with some help.

This was total acceptance. I placed my life itself – and whether it would continue – in God’s hands.

But that’s a story for another day.

Eventually, I drifted off to sleep for a few minutes and awoke feeling better.

As I recovered, I decided to continue practising Lectio Divina on my own. Paul suggested I choose my own passages. However, I decided to let God choose what He wanted to show me that day.

With my eyes closed, I was guided to 2 Samuel:

I could hardly believe what I was reading. A few days before I had lain struggling to breathe, frightened that I might die, and had called out to God in my distress.

Those words I was given that morning were intensely personal – God was confirming that He had heard and answered my cry for help.

Actually, I cried.

A lot.

The following morning, still overwhelmed with gratitude and inspired by what had happened, I went further.

I asked God whether there was anything – anything at all – I could do to serve Him. I also asked Him to make it very clear, since otherwise I might not understand!

The passage I was led to that morning was from 1 Corinthians 14, and it spoke about prophecy: and of my bringing His words of hope and encouragement to others.

The ‘me’ who is too frightened to stand up and speak in a Quaker meeting, and can’t even stand up in church to do a reading! Surely God could find so many people who would be much better than me.

I told Him so.

At length.

Over the next few days, I was guided to other passages continuing to direct me towards becoming God’s Messenger.

Eventually, I agreed.

The initial Message was given to me a little every day over the following weeks. It is a profound message of hope. It covers many things, including the return of Jesus, how we can best navigate the transition period that is coming, and some other areas.

But it didn’t end there. New Messages continue to provide guidance and wisdom as we move forward.

My commission from God is to take His Message to “all people, in all nations, who have ears to hear.”

Agreeing didn’t suddenly make me confident that I was the right person for the job.

My journal says something that still rings true:

“I did not doubt God, but I had no confidence in myself.”

Even now, there are days when I still feel this.

I’m no theologian. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t expect I ever will.
What I have done is explore life – including my spiritual life – experiencing and learning many things along the way, sometimes in the most unlikely situations.

Slowly but surely, I’ve come to recognise and appreciate my rich and vibrant one-to-one relationship with God – a relationship I believe is freely and simply available to us all.

And along the way, I’ve discovered more and more of just how awesome God is.

That private journal eventually grew into Prepare the Way. The journey continued, taking me in directions I could never have anticipated when I signed up for that Prayer Week.

And, rather unexpectedly once again, it has now brought me here.

This blog is another step in fulfilling the commission God gave me.

Perhaps you’re wondering… Why were you led to discover this blog?

I don’t know the answer, but time will tell.

You might describe yourself as spiritual but don’t go to church – and don’t want to. God may always have been part of your life. Or you may simply wonder from time to time whether there might be something more.

Wherever you’re starting from, you’re welcome here.

I’m certainly not going to tell you what your journey with God should look like. Everyone’s pathway is unique, and I’m still travelling my own.

What I can do, as we travel together on our respective paths, is share some of what I’ve experienced, discovered, got wrong and been puzzled by – as well as future Messages and those ordinary and extraordinary moments when I’ve unexpectedly caught a glimpse of God.

You don’t have to see those moments as I see them, or accept something simply because I say it.

There’s room here to question, to wonder, to explore and to find your own way, at your own pace. Something in my journey may help you recognise something in yours.

If not, that’s perfectly fine.

After all, you never quite know where this small, unexpected invitation might lead