…and, as we walked by room 318, the door opened and Batman appeared in the doorway. He stood tall and stared at us as we passed. It wasn’t long before we couldn’t help but begin chuckling.

What do you mean that I can’t start at the end of the story? That’s the best part. We’re talking Batman here. You really don’t care about what lead up to this. Might as well just run right to the punchline. Okay, okay… fine. I’ll tell the entire story, but I warned you! By the time we are done, you will come to the same conclusion as I did: God is Batman. Yes, it’s a stretch, but read on.

Three weeks ago, I was wrestling with God—big time! For three months, I had been homeless. The latter two of those months, I was actually working on-site with a freelance client that was paying fairly good money. Even though I wasn’t happy being there, I was faithful and stuck with it because I knew God placed me there to deal with some bills that were piling up. I kept paying past due bills and more past due bills, never having enough to get me into a place with a bed and a shower. I had reached a breaking point and rolled up my sleeves as I pleaded with God to change my situation poste haste. I couldn’t wait any longer!

For the next three days, I wrestled with God over his timing. It wasn’t a desire for my circumstances to change, it was a necessity. I told him how angry I was and how I needed him to move immediately. By that Saturday, I had a place to live, but it came with another test of patience and endurance. I only had $15 remaining to spend on food and gas until I got paid the following Thursday. By the end of that weekend, however, I was fully refreshed and rejuvenated. It is amazing what simple comforts can do for a man emotionally.

To give you a clear picture of how important this was for me, we need to go back to a previous blog entry. Remember when I talked about hope deferred? Hope seems to be a constant, recurring theme in my life and my blog. In fact, here we are, talking about hope again. The verse in question is Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (NIV)

When I talked about this verse before, I was referring to longing and waiting for a wife. While that is still in play, this time we are talking about having a place to live. The situation had become so dire that I could not focus at work, nor on anything else. I had a physical need that wasn’t being met and all I could see in front of me was how bad my situation was and how much I needed it to change sooner, rather than later.

That’s the first part of that verse, but it doesn’t end there. Remember the second part? “…a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” As I mentioned, within the first two days of moving in, all of that anxiety was gone! My spirits improved and it carried over into all facets of my life and work. Never before had such a desperately sought after hope been fulfilled in such a complete manner that restoration was immediate and recognizable. Part one: sucks. Part two: joyful. You can’t get more clear-cut than that.

Okay, so maybe you are wondering now just where I’m staying. Do you remember the “hooker hotel” from Pretty Woman? The one that Julia Roberts’ character lived at and Richard Gere climbed up the fire escape of at the end of the movie? Well, that’s where I’m living. It’s not the most glamorous place in the world, but the owner is nice and it’s better than what I had before (which was nothing). The pay is weekly and I didn’t have a huge deposit to deal with, which is what had kept me out of an apartment before. And it’s two blocks from Hollywood and Highland, so there is a lot around (including the crazies… and people who dress up as Batman).

One of my friends also lives in another room here. He’s actually the one who referred me to move in. Every four weeks, we are supposed to move out for a day and then we can check back in. This last Saturday was when my friend was supposed to move out. The night before, as I drove home, I had a thought come to my mind to pray for him. My prayer was simple, “Father, please give him favor so that he doesn’t have to check out and deal with all of that stress.”

Then I forgot about it completely.

The next morning, after helping him move some stuff down into my closet for the 24 hour period, I waited for him outside as he dealt with the owner at the front counter. As he came out, I saw an odd look on his face and I grew fearful that no rooms would be available for him to move back into and he would be screwed. Instead, my friend said, “You want to hear something amazing? I don’t have to check out. And neither do you. He trusts us.”

I was speechless. I’m sure that my jaw had literally dropped as I uttered, “But… I prayed exactly for that last night! Not for me, per se, but for you!”

Just as I had never before experienced such a great longing fulfilled in moving in here, I also have never seen such a specific prayer answered in such a concise way. Bam. God showed up.

Before going out to grab some breakfast, we needed to drop something off in my friend’s room. We climbed the stairs to the third floor and, as we walked by room 318, the door opened and Batman appeared in the doorway. He stood tall and stared at us as we passed. It wasn’t long before we couldn’t help but begin chuckling.

To my friend, this was simply a street performer appearing at the right time for God to show that he had a sense of humor. Nothing more than an “on top of all that, it’s Batman. How random.”

To me, it was much more. It was God showing that he is just like Batman. God’s methods and ways are mysterious; Batman is dark and mysterious. God reveals himself at the right time; Batman shows up to save you just before the commercial break. God is always watching over you; Batman was standing in the doorway, watching over us. Yes, this was God saying, “I’m Batman. And I can breathe in space.“