Oh Pooh!

"Do not pass by anyone in need, for you may be the hand of God to them."

Proverbs 3:27 

 

My phone rang at 10:17pm.  I was already in bed (yes I'm old like that) and my first reaction to the phone ringing was, "What NOW?"  I was irritated and considered ignoring the call completely.  After a couple more rings, I shook myself awake, gathered my thoughts and answered.  The voice on the other end was a friend of mine, she was crying so hard that her voice was shaking and she said, "I need your help."  After we talked for a bit, it became very clear that my friend really was in a situation where help was needed, not just a quick prayer or a piece of sage wisdom, but a more long-term effort.

 

Now, I will say that I wasn't overly thrilled about the prospect of helping in such a long-term way, but the more I prayed about it, the more insistent God's voice filled my soul, "THIS is one of the reasons I have prepared you for ministry!"  And then, He reminded me of a verse I had learned as a child, "Do not pass by anyone in need, for you may be the hand of God to them."   To be honest, I still struggle with my desire to let my friend endure their struggles on their own and deal with the consequences, but God reminds me over and over "If that were YOU in that situation, would YOU want someone to help?" which is usually followed by "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."  God, as always, makes very valid points because He is ALWAYS right.

 

I have taken a lot of guff from others because of this need to help, but when God shows us how to help, are we really so arrogant and selfish as to tell God, "Nope!  Not gonna do it."?  Let me put it another way, by refusing to help someone in need, how does that support my claim to be a Christian?  How does that shine God's light in the darkness?

Is it inconvenient? Yes!  Is it irritating? At times.  Is it worth it?  Yes!  What if my help is ultimately rejected? That's for God to deal with, my job is to do what is right.