God's game of Scrabble plays out again

Listen up Scrabble fans! This story is — in a word — AMAZING.

I heard it piece by piece over the length of a year.

It begins with a Scrabble board game and two players: Vanessa and Ryan.

Vanessa, a nice young professional woman, had given up on the game of love. It seemed that the RIGHT guy just wasn’t out there.

Her parents, thought otherwise. So they began to pray for the man who would be perfect for their daughter.

Months passed. Mr. Right didn’t turn up.

Then, one day, Vanessa’s girlfriend decided to score some friendship points. She set up a blind date for her friend, Vanessa.

Then came the next move.

Ryan, a nice young professional man — and the blind date — was asked to get together with a group of friends. The only rule was that he play a game or two of Scrabble.

Life was about to take a turn.

Vanessa spotted her partner. He could very well be the RIGHT missing piece. As the game began, she gathered her Scrabble letters and placed them one by one on her tray.

The first word: PRAYERS.

The couple dated for weeks and weeks. Eventually, a trip was planned to visit Vanessa’s family where an evening game of Scrabble was on the docket.

But early in the day, Ryan strategized and made a calculated move that impressed Vanessa’s parents. Could he have their daughter’s hand in marriage, the young man asked her father? The answer made Ryan smile. The soon to be in-laws praised the Lord.

With the dad and mom’s blessing, Ryan kept a game face as the couple and parents gathered for Scrabble. Ryan turned over his first tiles one by one.

The word spelled out on the board: PRAISE.

Wedding plans were made, followed one day by a trip across the state by Vanessa’s mom. She wanted to help the bride with final details. A tiring day found Vanessa’s mom declining an evening invitation to play Scrabble.

Tucked wearily into bed, she was awakened by a gentle shake, “Mom!” Vanessa whispered. “You’ve got to come see this,” her voice tingling with excitement.

There on the board were again the first letters of the game: AMEN.

I can’t explain the coincidences that occurred during the Scrabble games played by this young couple. But I can explain from personal experience that when God is included as a player in our life, the pieces fall into place.

Ryan and Vanessa said "I DO" on Aug. 8, 2009.