It was a cold, blustery, winter night in downtown Chicago and I had just finished eating my ridiculously sized meal from “The Cheesecake Factory” - at least I’d tried to finish it all! I was walking back to my hotel room where I planned to rest for the remainder of the evening. My stomach was full but I was still carrying a good-sized bag of leftovers. It was going to be a nice little something for me to snack on later, just in case I got hungry again.
As I was getting closer to the hotel, I walked by a homeless family. They were huddled closely together on the sidewalk just trying to get warmer. They were wrapped up in several tattered and dirty blankets and they were asking every person who passed by for something - anything - to eat. I glanced at them but made sure not to make any direct eye contact. Their situation certainly saddened me but I just kept on walking. Being a Christian, I did, at least, say a quick prayer to God to bring them the help and the food they were asking for.
When I finally arrived back to my warm, cozy hotel room and was putting away my leftovers in the in-room fridge, God convicted me of what I’d just done, or I guess what I didn’t do. Here I was praying that God would provide this family with something they desperately needed while I was carrying that thing in my very own hands.
When it comes to praying for the needs of others, we are often very clever in how we rationalize our inaction or inability to act on someone’s behalf. We might say it's not our responsibility and that someone else will take care of it. But what if we started being more open to the possibility that we might be the answer to the very thing and the very person we’re praying for?
Matthew 25:34-40 The Message (MSG)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’