Feeding the King and His Kingdom

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:34-40
Ask the Lord to give you opportunities to "do" for others. Sometimes those are in the form of ministry opportunities, mission trips, donating to a charity or mission, or maybe even short-term opportunities that may only last a few moments...

I recently had an experience in a downtown fast food restaurant in a big city. A young man came into the store and walked (more like stumbled) up toward the exit of the food ordering line. He was obviously having some sort of withdrawal symptoms, was shaking and twitching, he had some open wounds and scars on his face, head, and arms, and was dirty. I was keeping an eye on him out of the corner of my eye because it was sort of a strange scene. We made eye contact for a brief moment, and he pointed to the sign on the wall with a picture of a value meal... He wanted food.

This young man was probably in his early 20's. I have a son around the same age. I cannot imagine what this man's life is like, or at least what he had gone through that day... It really didn't matter at the time... the important thing was that he was hungry and needed a few minutes off the street.

The meal was something like $5.59 for a sandwich, fries, and a coke. No matter the cost of the meal, how could I not follow through on his gesture - his simple request for some food? He did not ask for money, he did not try to sell me anything, he was not threatening in any way. I've often read the scriptures where Jesus teaches what to do in the situation, but I have ignored that too many times before. To ignore it and to walk away would be to do what probably most everyone else would have done in that restaurant also, and what he may have experienced at other places as well. I felt peace and a strong sense of the Lord's leading in that moment.

I already had my food, but I got back into line and bought the man his meal. He quietly took it and was still sitting quietly eating when I left several minutes later after wolfing down my beef 'n cheddar and jalapeno poppers. He did not look up when I walked by him. Who knows... by then he may have forgotten how he got the meal. The important thing was that he was safe, cool, dry, and fed for a few minutes before going back out into the life he has on the streets. I said a silent prayer for him and asked God to give me more such opportunities... not for my benefit, but for the Glory of God.

-Andy G.

Waiting on the Lord

Even when I pray and fast, I must be reminded that my timing for the hoped-for answer to those prayers is not always the same as the Lord's. In the meantime, I must remain on course, placing my faith in God that he hears my prayers. If I pray with confidence that the Lord hears those prayers, then I should be able to proceed about my business (the Lord's business) with confidence that they will be answered according to His will. These answers may even come without my knowledge at some point in the distant future.

The Bible is full of promises that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. Two of those instances are particularly encouraging to me. They are:

Phillipians 1:3-6 "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

and

Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

Let me try an analogy for this... a runner will train for a marathon for months at a time before the actual event. They don't run once and then expect they are ready for the marathon... they run and train through a well-planned routine that will prepare for them for success in the marathon. And even as they run the marathon, they must persevere and continue running until they cross the finish line. This is similar to the "waiting" that I am writing about here. Even as we wait on the Lord to answer prayers, we should continue with the training... through prayer and fasting, and living out our day, completing the tasks that the Lord has given us (family, job, school, etc.) to the best of our abilities even as we wait for those answered prayers.

Stay strong... keep praying...

-Andy G.