Whether you are burdened, or burdened to help, you have a special place in God’s heart. Ask God to open your eyes in satisfying the needs around you and he will shine his favor upon you!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story of God at work.
And the story begins with Diana. She is what they call, a "working" homeless person. She works putting in hours at a local fast-food restaurant and she showers every couple of days at a nearby Methodist church. Sometimes with her earnings, Diana is able to get a good night's sleep on a nice clean mattress at a Motel 6. She is sixty-two years old and, for all her many hardships, has a great attitude. She says she starts each day with a “Good morning, God!” Then Diana tends to her cat, Shadow, who is her companion on the street. Diana has found a safe sleeping place near a hardware store in the San Fernando Valley; she’s not bothered there by drug pushers or other dangerous predators. In fact, she’s made friends with the policemen for whom that part of the Valley is their beat. Diana doesn’t want to make the street her permanent lifestyle. She lost her home several years ago, but is hoping to earn enough to find a permanent place to live.
Now, most of us never cross paths with people like Diana; that is, unless we volunteer at a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Certainly my co-worker Cathy didn’t know anyone like Diana. That is, until several months ago, she stopped by the fast-food restaurant where Diana was an employee. Immediately Cathy was impressed with the woman's upbeat attitude; she gave service with a smile and, because of that, Cathy felt drawn to Diana. So she struck up a conversation that continued whenever Cathy stopped by the familiar fast-food restaurant for lunch. After a few visits, she learned then that Diana was homeless. Cathy left the restaurant that day feeling burdened for her new friend. That’s when she and her husband decided to help. They rolled up their sleeves, did some leg work, and found Diana a room to rent. Finally, she was off the street and she couldn’t be happier, and her cat Shadow, too.
You know, this is just one modern day example of Isaiah 58:6-7 where God says, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter...?” Wow! No, you do not have to work for a rescue mission or have a sociology degree to make a difference in the lives of people like Diana or any other folks in your community who have special needs. Cathy and her husband are such great examples of how Christians are not only responding to God's plea in Isaiah 58, but they are salting their communities with the preserving influence of Christ’s love. After all, if you listen to Jesus in Matthew 25, you find out real fast that homeless people like Diana hold a special place in God's heart.
People like Cathy and her husband have a special place in God's heart, too. As they help someone like Diana, Isaiah 58:9-11 assures them that, “when you will cry for help, [the Lord] will say: ‘Here am I.’ If you do away with the yoke of oppression; if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always.” Wow I love that Bible verse, and don’t you want God to think of you that way? Don’t you want his favor and joy to rest on you like that? Well, this week you will encounter all sorts of people in your community who have all sorts of needs. Ask God to open your eyes to ways that you can satisfy the needs around you, it will be the Isaiah 58 thing to do, and God will shine on you his favor!
© Joni and Friends