Do you ever wonder if God is truly at work in our world today — not in some distant, theological sense, but right here, in the ordinary moments of an ordinary day? What I’m about to share with you happened just this week, on a Wednesday. And by the end of it, I had no doubt that I had watched God move.
A Man Named Brian
It began when a man — I’ll call him Brian — walked into our church. He was tired, visibly worn, and despondent. He introduced himself simply: he was homeless. He had spent the previous night sleeping at a petrol station. He wasn’t asking for much. He just wanted somewhere safe to sleep.
He spoke softly — so softly it was hard to hear him — but gradually his story emerged. He had escaped a dangerous situation involving people with criminal connections. He had nothing with him but the clothes on his back. And those clothes were all he had, along with shoes that were too small and made every step painful.
We made him a cup of tea, and a plate of crackers — all we had — and he ate every one of them. Then I offered him the church sanctuary to rest in while I tried to figure out what to do next.
One Door After Another
I knew that Haven Home Safe handled crisis accommodation in our area, so I gave them a call — honestly not expecting much. But the receptionist asked us to come straight down to their Preston office. Brian was hesitant. He had been let down before — dropped off in Dandenong by another provider who couldn’t follow through. But he agreed to come.
Before we headed to Haven Home Safe, I suggested we stop at the Preston Market for a proper meal. Brian ordered the biggest burger on the menu. Over lunch, as he began to trust a little more, he talked about his background and the situation he had fled. He couldn’t even use his phone — it had been compromised by the people he’d escaped from.
At Haven Home Safe, we were seen promptly and taken to an interview room. There was a complication — Brian wasn’t from the northern suburbs, which made things uncertain. But after some conversation with the manager, they agreed to provide him with a week’s accommodation in a motel. The relief I felt was immense.
Finding a motel with vacancies was another challenge — it was Formula One Grand Prix weekend, and rooms were scarce. But eventually a motel in the eastern suburbs was found. I quietly checked the reviews on my phone — two stars, not encouraging — but I chose to say nothing to Brian. He had enough to carry.
New Clothes, New Dignity
During our time at the market, Brian had quietly asked whether there was anywhere he might be able to get some clothes. Remembering that Northern Community Church of Christ ran a clothing hub, I called them — only to be told they didn’t operate on Wednesdays and had minimal staff that day.
But then they asked: was it urgent? When I explained Brian’s situation, without hesitation, they said to bring him in.
Mary and Michelle greeted us warmly at the clothing hub in Thornbury. What followed was remarkable. They fitted Brian with new pants, t-shirts, sweaters, a leather jacket, socks, underwear — and most importantly, shoes that actually fitted. These weren’t donated cast-offs. Not that Brian would have cared, but these were new, branded items — Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger — packed into a brand-new carry bag.
But I will never forget the look on Brian’s face as he stood in front of the mirror. Something shifted in him. His whole demeanour changed.
I also noticed something about Mary. She explained that she was coming to the end of her time at the clothing hub and had specifically planned this as a quiet day — no appointments, just stocktake with minimal staff. Yet she never showed the slightest hint of inconvenience. Only joy. I was beginning to suspect God had arranged the schedule.
An Unexpected Moment of Worship
Our next stop was the food bank at Thornbury Church of Christ. We arrived an hour early, but as we walked through the doors, we discovered that their mid-week church service had just begun. Maree, the community pastor, welcomed us in and said she’d help us with food after the service. Brian simply shrugged his shoulders and sat down.
Maree opened by reading from Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6 — first from the NIV, then from The Message:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go — he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
Maree invited the small congregation to respond. In the silence that followed, it was Brian who spoke first. He spoke about how God is a provider — especially in times of trouble.
After the service, Maree loaded Brian up with fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meals, bread and hot cross buns. She then mentioned they had specific packs for people in Brian’s situation — food and hygiene packs designed for the homeless. I was quietly moved to see our own West Preston Baptist Church packs being handed over, knowing that Brian had none of those basic supplies.
He left with an even bigger grin.
“I Felt Respected”
There was one final hurdle — the motel hadn’t received the authorisation email from Haven Home Safe. We waited. And waited. I was beginning to calculate whether I’d need to pay myself. Then someone answered the phone, tracked down the booking just as the staff member was leaving for the day, and the email came through.
The room was nothing like the reviews had suggested. It had been freshly renovated — clean, comfortable, with a microwave ready for all those frozen dinners.
As we drove to the motel, Brian said something I keep coming back to. He said that everyone had respected him. When I asked him what he meant, he simply said: “I felt respected.”
In that moment I understood. The dignity that had been stripped from him — through his circumstances, through previous let-downs, through sleeping in a petrol station — was being restored. Person by person, place by place, through the course of one ordinary Wednesday, every one treated him without judgement.
What God Did in a Day
Brian came to our church that morning with no place to sleep, no food, no change of clothes, and shoes that hurt him with every step. He felt unsafe. He felt broken. He had spent the night in a petrol station.
By the end of that day, through the work of Haven Home Safe, Northern Community and Thornbury Churches of Christ, and our own West Preston Baptist — all of that had turned around. He had a week’s accommodation, a wardrobe of new clothes, food to last him days, and had stood in a church and spoken of God as provider.
I had recently been praying that I would slow down and notice God’s presence in everyday life. On this day, God didn’t just show grace to Brian. He showed it to me too — turning what began as my anxiety into an exercise in watching and waiting as God solved everything that needed solving.
But it was also an example of how God’s kingdom can work through unity. Not one organisation or church could achieve what God did on that day; God used the relational connections built over years to achieve his kingdom outcomes.
An example of psalm 133 (NIV)
1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
- By Rev Paul Huglin is the Pastor of West Preston Baptist Church