02/29/2024
Has some act of mercy ever led you into unexpected prayer? Have we ever performed something spontaneous and good for someone, then found that while doing so you found that you had been led into a place spiritually that you hadn’t anticipated, and yet it blessed you immensely? The things we do for those in need can have legs and sometimes they travel far into our spirituality. A simple act, a meal, a drink, an article of clothing, or any other act of mercy we perform, can drop us into some very deep waters of faith. When this happens we might be thrilled by the blessing, but sometimes we can be forced to look beyond our mercy at who we really are, or to see a deeper sin in the situation, and it will scare us.
“Whoever has a bountiful[a] eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.”
Proverbs 22:9 ESV
A couple of weeks ago something happened to me that touched my heart, thrilled me spiritually, and then opened my eyes to a plight that many homeless who are wandering the roads face. It had been a very cold night, and even though the sun was rising you could see your breath.
Many mornings I stop by a Wendy’s drive through restaurant on my way to work and pick up a quick breakfast; a sausage biscuit, order of potatoes, and an orange juice. Occasionally I will see someone who I know is experiencing a hard time in their lives and very quietly tell the cashier to put their food on my bill, and on occasion I will buy them something more. It is a small thing, but the blessing warms me for the remainder of my day.
On this particular day I had pulled up to the speaker to place my order, and while waiting there I noticed a man at the far corner of the parking area. He had on many layers of tattered clothes, and was milling about an old suitcase he had opened on the ground. I could tell by the way he moved and acted that he was not only cold, but also frustrated or upset about something. So I watched him for a few minutes until at last I was at the window where I would get my order. When the attendant handed me my meal I told her I wanted to place another order and asked for another meal like mine with one exception; asked her to give me a large hot coffee with several sugars and creams instead of my typical orange juice.
Receiving my second order I pulled away from the window, turned around in the parking lot. As I pulled up to the man he continued to pace around his suitcase, but he never looked back nor did he face the restaurant. So I rolled down my window and said “Good Morning!” to which he mumbled something but didn’t turn to acknowledge me. So I asked him… “Would you like a warm breakfast?” At this he stood up straight and turned quickly towards me while excitedly saying “YES!” It was then that I recognized that this was not a man at all, but a woman. She walked quickly to my truck window and I handed her the bag that contained her food and the fixings for the coffee, then I handed her the large cup saying “It’s hot, and there is cream and sugar in the bag.”
She was smiling at me with a broad smile that revealed she was missing several teeth. And yet her smile lit up her eyes, and highlighted the wrinkles around her eyes, and across her face. I passed the coffee to her and she cupped it in her hands. I realized that she was using it to warm herself. Then, as I told her to have a good morning and was preparing to pull away she asked me if I had any smokes. In an almost apologetic tone I told her “No, I don’t smoke”, and as I pulled away she said “God bless you.”
This alone would have been enough to have blessed me, but something else happened during the remainder of my drive to work. I was struck with how vulnerable this woman was. She was on the road with nothing more than what she had in her suitcase, and I pictured her having to sleep on the ground, or in a doorway somewhere. I wondered if she had a family somewhere that cared about her, and then my thoughts turned dark… how many times had she been abused in a makeshift homeless camp by rough men, or had she resorted to selling herself for a meal, or a pack of smokes. My heart broke as I prayed for her and so many others like her who were forced to live this way. I prayed that the Lord would protect them, and especially those who were mentally handicapped and whose innocence made easy targets. Sometimes when we perform acts of mercy it not only benefits those who receive our gift, but it opens our eyes and hearts in unexpected ways.
Now, as I continue to feed those in need, or help them in some other way, I will be humbled all the more, and will see them to be much more than a hungry soul, or someone who is cold on a frigid night. I will see the calamity in their lives, and the victims they are of the roaring lion who paces to and fro as he stalks them. I will see the human tragedy of their plight. I will see through the eyes of Christ what God saw in each of us when He sent His Son to save us while we were yet sinners, and my soul will ache for them. Perhaps this is what Jesus w=saw as He travelled, and ate with the sinners as He did.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
1 Peter 5:6-9 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for allowing us to show mercy to those in need, and to extend your loving heart to them as they suffer in their misery. Thank you Lord for circumcising our hearts so that we can see what you see, and feel the world as you do. Help us, and have mercy on our souls when we see in ourselves the selfsame sin and shortcomings we recognize so easily in others. Remind us daily Lord that we are but a step away from being just like those we extend a hand of kindness and mercy to today. Thank you Holy Father for allowing us to see more than people who can’t, or won’t, help themselves, when we bend down to pick them up. Show us the potential in them and the enormous value you place on their souls… the same value and price you have paid for ours. Holy, Holy, Holy are you our God who is with the homeless and the privileged alike. Great are you who dines with saints and with the sinners in need of salvation too. Merciful are you who makes the soft beds of kings, and the hard palates on the ground for the poor. You sleep with us regardless of where and who we are. You walk with the Olympian and the crippled alike, and you show each one his deformities; show us ours now, so that we can pray for our release from them. Paul served you faithfully despite the thorn he bore, and if that be the lot in our life then we pray that you will give us the strength to endure it, and to maintain our faith despite our suffering. Pour the blood of Jesus over us Father, and wash us clean of our sins. Dress us in fine white robes, golden belts, and give us only he best of heaven when at last you welcome us home. We praise your name Abba, and sing of the glory that is yours in all we do as we strive to live within your will, and suffer for the little while.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 5:10-11 ESV
Rich Forbes