Not Crushed, Not Abandoned
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned.
2 Corinthians 4:8, 9
Unable to find the restaurant they were seeking, they settled on this steakhouse. Their waitress was very personable and pleasant. She was a Hurricane Katrina transplant, now living thirty miles inland. She hoped to get home to the coast in the next couple months.
They asked her about how life had changed. She was quick to share how her former employer had provided a fifteen-thousand-dollar debit card to help with temporary relocation.
She spoke about how normal things had seemed the day the storm hit and how much her life had changed since. She and her sister had gone to Florida to ride it out. They had taken nothing with them, expecting to return home in the morning. They returned to the neighborhood ten days later to find the house gone. There was nothing left but the cement slab with the ceramic tile still in place. Yet she quickly downplayed their loss, citing how others had lost their lives.
When she finished, the group asked if they could pray with her. As they held hands and prayed, tears fell. The waitress felt God’s embrace that night; she felt loved.
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Eighteen months after the storm, it was the first time anyone had offered to pray for her. One act of love can bring the beginning of healing. They had reached out to the waitress in sensitivity and obedience. God uses us when we are available and obedient. If we are willing to step out for the cause of Christ, He will teach us great and wonderful things. This small act of compassion produced several testimonies for the future. When we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading, we discover the outcome is God’s goal, not our comfort. Mostly, we find that others are hungry for spiritual nourishment. Taking time to ask your waiter or waitress if he or she has a prayer need may be the first step to healing. God whispers in our ear, “Tell them I care.”
Prayer
“Show me the opportunities where a prayer can make a difference in someone’s life, Lord. Then give me the courage and strength to pray with them. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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