I KNEW IT! As soon as I read this verse a few days ago, I had a feeling God would make me "live it." Here it is:
Proverbs 21:13 -- If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
The moment I read it, I felt God telling me, "You're going to see him this week and you need to help him." Who? Well, that is a long story.
There is a fellow who stops by the church every now and then...I'll call him 'James.' James is a good guy who is always in 'crisis mode.' Now, before I go any further, you need to know that in my line of work, it is not too uncommon for people to stop by the church asking for help of some kind...usually monetary. I am well aware that there are many who will read this and will throw out the oft-used, "Well, they're just scamming you" line and dismiss the rest of the story; but, hang with me. James has walked in the church a number of times in the last 2 years and, I will painfully admit to you, it has frustrated me. I've been scammed before. But I have always chalked it up to God by saying, "Lord, I did my best. Please bless us for our efforts to help 'the least of these.'"
Others have literally cussed at me {right after telling me how strong of a brother in Christ they are} for not doing enough for them. Some have lied to me...I've caught them in it. That kind of stuff can make you pretty jaded when it comes to the poor among us.
James has gone through a lot and has brought me 'proof' with most of his stops that his crisis is real. {Hospital papers, obituaries, etc} I have tried to keep his family fed and have tried to keep him from losing his job.
The last time he was here, I emphatically told James, "This is it! No more! I can't keep doing this...I have people in my own church who are hurting." I THOUGHT that was the end of it because I hadn't seen James in quite a while...I figured he either moved on or found another place to get help. Then, I read Proverbs 21:13...and then the Lord whispered to me.
I actually dismissed it...I thought, "Well, apparently I was wrong on that one." THEN, this morning, I saw the car pull up and James got out of the vehicle. I hate to admit this; but, I actually got really mad. My mind started filling up with what I would tell him: "Come on, man, I told you before...blah, blah, blah."
Then he walked in and tearfully laid a 'bulletin' on my desk. His brother in Tuscon, Arizona had been shot and killed. He was left to die in his own blood and his body was not discovered for 3 days...very sad! The bulletin was the program from his brother's funeral. He started weeping right in front of me and God grabbed my heart and my wrong-attitude and said, "Remember that verse from earlier this week? You need to help this man." I obeyed. How could I not? God, for some reason, prepared me for that moment.
I couldn't do a lot for him...our little church is my no means 'rolling in it.' But, we were able to meet his need. He is moving to Tuscon into his brother's home. There is a very large family of kids whom James is hoping to help take care of. As I type this, he and HIS kids are loading a Greyhound bus to join those, now fatherless, boys and girls to try to take care of them, help them grieve, and start over.
He said I will never see him again until he has a check to give back to the church. I know the check's not coming...that's not why I have helped him today nor is it why I helped him in the past. I have really tried to be 'Jesus' to this man... I hope my church and I have succeeded in doing so.
My church comes in contact with many hurting people and I simply cannot help them all...but I think we can all help someone. According to Proverbs 21:13, ignoring the poor around us will have a significantly negative impact on our prayer lives---I don't want that to happen. I have A LOT to pray about. I am praying for some of you who are reading this. I need God to answer my prayers.
I've asked God to forgive me for my cruddy attitude. I am guessing many other pastors have a "James" in their lives. I imagine I won't see James again until I see him in Heaven. That's OK. I think God will bless our church in a greater way than a check in the mail.
How about you? Who is the "James" in your life? PLEASE, don't tell me you're too poor to do anything for anyone! Are you telling me you can't mow a lawn? You can't invite someone for a meal? You can't just sit and listen? You can't shovel a sidewalk/driveway? You can't make a phone call? There are a TON of James' out there who need more than your "hand out" They need your heart! Who is your James?
