I found myself praying the same thing that has passed across my lips so many times before.
“God, give them comfort in this time of need. Show them that you are there, that you love them, and you are present to see them through this.”
A friend was in the midst of a family crisis. Of course, the first thing I do is pray. It’s almost instinctive. A reflex. Something I do often on autopilot.
Sometimes that’s not necessarily a good thing.
I find myself responding like this to so many situations lately. Some version of this same prayer, from my lips to God’s ears. And then I carry on with my day, the prayer I just uttered, and sometimes the crisis that had moved me to pray in the first place, soon to be lost in the business of my own life.
But this time God was ready. This time he wanted to father me through a lesson that for years I had yet to comprehend.
“Give them comfort,” I said quietly. “Show them that you are present to see them through this.”
“You show them that I am present.” I felt the Holy Spirit impress this on my spirit very clearly. He does this in such a gentle way, but the message was clear. “I will give them comfort through you.“
Ah man…I felt busted. Called out.
But how many of us do this? The American culture is built on busyness, and Christians are by no means immune to its effects. We become passive to the needs of other people who are dealing with real, sometimes life altering problems. And we think that a token prayer is good enough. God will take care of it.
And yet God is calling us to step into the gap for others.
There’s a chasm between the God we worship and an unbelieving world. It’s easy to look to God to move on the behalf of others. History shows that he does. But most of the time he chooses to use us, a people called by his own name, and when we don’t respond the world is left with a broken picture of what it’s like to interact with a loving God .
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Phillipians 2:3-5
The world waits with skepticism for a God they don’t want to believe in to intervene in their lives. When Christians remain passive and unavailable, it shows the world that God is not present. That he is indifferent to their needs.
Or simply that he just doesn’t exist.
I for one don’t want to be responsible for that. So I will change the tone of my prayers. I will alter my focus. From now on, I will be intentional about being less passive when others are in need. With God’s help.
This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5-6
If someone needs comfort I will seek to offer the comfort they need. If someone needs love, I will ask God to show me how to give it, even if I don’t feel like I have much to give. The point isn’t to fill a need from my own limited reserve, but to make my cup available to God to fill on the behalf of others.
I will seek to serve, and to put myself in a place where the Lord can use me to reach others. Even if its uncomfortable. Even if I feel vulnerable. Even if what I have to offer is rejected.
Because that’s the kind of people God seeks to speak on his behalf. And because I have been comforted many times when I was in need. After all, we are comforted so that we can in turn comfort others.
This will take some time. And a lot of practice. Stay with me in this, Father.
Amen.
Sean David Ealy 