“Can I share something that I feel like God put on my heart for you?”
That may not sound like a normal question to ask someone you just met—especially an airplane seatmate who has already walked away from you after a brief conversation. But pastor, author and podcast host Shawn Bolz knew the Holy Spirit was guiding his words.
“Yeah,” the man responded.
“I felt like you’re an air marshal,” Bolz said.
Since the man had already told him he was retiring from the oil industry, those words came at a cost. “I’m not the air marshal!” he protested.
“Well, I’m just going to say the rest of this, even though I was wrong on that information, apparently,” Bolz told him. “I feel like God’s going to help your daughter and son-in-law have a baby because they’ve been having a hard time. And I feel like God wants to show you that this next season of your life is going to be one of the greatest because you’re going to be more specifically doing what you felt passion for instead of your career. And you’re going to have so much time for family, which you felt like you had to sacrifice some in this career that you’ve been in. And I feel like God is just saying, ‘Well done.'”
As Bolz shared, the man broke down in tears. But he continued to insist, “I’m not the air marshal.” And after Bolz finished speaking, he walked away and didn’t return until the flight was ending.
“He came back and sat down, but he was really quiet,” Bolz says. “I thought, Wow, I really offended him.“ He got off the plane and waited in baggage claim when suddenly, he felt a man’s hands on his shoulder.
“You completely scared me! I had to go investigate you and figure out what you knew,” the man told him. “And I realized you really are just a minister who teaches people how to hear from God. And I’m a Christian, too. And this was my last air marshal trip … You’re not allowed to know that; I’m not allowed to disclose that to you. But I just had to tell you, you were right. And everything you said helped me so much. And I didn’t know God would be that specific with me, and it helped me so much. Thank you so much.”
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