Posted by: John Schaenzer in MyBlog on Dec 20, 2009
In the summer of 1985, a manufacturer’s representative company employed me as a salesman. The story of getting the job was unique to my experiences and caused me to believe that I was where the Lord wanted me to be. I was a new Christian that summer, having repented and submitted myself to Christ the previous February. It is fair to say that I was new to walking with God and the leading of the Holy Spirit, so I should not beat myself up over missing opportunities at that time. Almost twenty-five years later now, the event is still so clear in my memory that I know I missed out on what God was wanting me to do on that early summer day.
My job was both in and out of the office and in the summer months I would go to a park for lunch. I would read a book or listen to the radio if the timing was right for the programs I wanted to hear. That particular day I was sitting in my car eating and reading at a park next to Medicine Lake. I noticed a man down by the beach, perhaps fifty yards from where I was parked. He was nervously pacing back and forth as though he was quite troubled by something. What I believed then, and still believe to this day, was that the Holy Spirit was nudging me to go talk to the man. “Tell him about Christ” was the prodding I was sensing. For the better part of the thirty minutes that I was there I was resisting the urge to talk to the man. My lunchtime expired and so did the opportunity as I drove away.
In hindsight, it would have been so easy to walk over to the man and say something such as, “You appear to be troubled by something. Is there anything you would like me to pray about for you?” Why did I fear rejection so badly that I could not make a simple offer to pray for a man that appeared so obviously in need of God’s help that day. The worst that could happen, really, would be for him to decline the offer. “Mind your own business” could be the response. After all, isn’t that what society would like us to do? Isn’t that what Satan would like us to do? It is the polar opposite of what Christ would have us do. We are to share the love of God and what better way is there to do that than to show concern for someone who is struggling. Every time I looked up from what I was reading it seemed as though the man was looking straight at my car as though he was waiting for help to arrive. It never did. His hope was in vain. I let him down and I believe I disobeyed God. I thwarted the leading of the Holy Spirit. I had to repent, ask forgiveness and learn from the experience.
I was thinking about that story a few weeks ago as I was walking away from an encounter with a man at a Burger King restaurant. While we were waiting for our food we became engaged in conversation. He was telling me about his knee problems for which he had just visited the clinic. Near the end of the conversation he was telling me about having to go to a clinic for a sleep study for apnea, a condition that I have. If ever there was a chance for empathy, this was it. As we parted ways in the parking lot, I told him that I would pray for him whenever the Lord brought him to mind. As I climbed into my truck I wondered, why did I not offer to pray for him and with him right there? I was more focused on my desire to get my lunch and get back on the road than to taking two minutes to allow the Lord to offer the man comfort and hope. Revealed to me that day was where I was at in being aware of opportunities God has for us. I have prayed for that man many times as I recall the encounter and the missed opportunity.
I have often times preached that we don’t need to go out looking for opportunities to do good works because God puts them right in our path if we will just pay attention. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. God has prepared good works for me to walk in. Am I paying attention so as to notice when they pop up in front of me? After so many years, how can I still be oblivious to the opportunities around me?
A couple weeks ago, a friend from church had to take his daughter to the emergency room. After church that day I had stopped at that hospital to see my wife who works there. I was unsure which hospital my friend had gone to, but I followed the impulse to check the waiting room and emergency room before I left. My wife led me through a maze and I found myself in the area where patients were being treated as she looked for our friend to see if his daughter was being treated. We found the family in the waiting room as we exited the area that I probably shouldn’t have been in. After a short visit gathering information to send out on the prayer chain, I expressed my desire to leave. My friend then asked me if I would pray for his daughter before I left. Do you think it crossed my mind to offer to pray for her, and the family, right then and there? No, he had to ask me. Perhaps it was a step of faith for him to speak up and ask that will aid in his spiritual growth, but from my perspective it was another blunder on my part as I was prepared to walk away. I have to wonder how I can be thinking about God and the power of prayer, be gathering information for the notice on the prayer chain, and still be so blind to the opportunity to pray with fellow believers at the very point of their need. Sometimes my ignorance just boggles my mind. The family was thankful that I took the time to visit and that I was willing to pray for their daughter. I left wondering how I was so blind.
For all of these types of stories that I could share, I can also share stories where I did not falter. For example, yesterday at Comforts of Home some members of our church provided some Christmas music for the residents of the assisted living home. I had noticed that Hazel had gotten up and moved away from the crowd. I went to her and asked how she was feeling. I mentioned that it appeared as though she was fighting allergies or something. She said that she had a cough and felt as though she was disturbing those around her. I offered to pray with her and she anxiously agreed. After I finished the prayer, she gave me an appreciative hug. The folks that live there highly value the personal attention from our visits.
As believers and followers of Christ, we are called to be a testimony to His love to all that we encounter in this world. What easier way to express His love than to take a minute to pray with someone? I have a hard time thinking of someone in need who has ever refused my offer to pray for him or her. There is no need for elaborate prayers or flowery verbiage. All that is needed is a heart felt request for God to intervene in the situation. My fear of rejection will never go away, but as I walk closer with God, it can be overcome. I don’t believe anyone walks in such boldness to be able to engage a stranger without some anxiousness. Those who appear to be able to do so easily have just taken the first step that led to the second step. Each step, each time, builds our faith and our trust that God is with us when we look at others rather than ourselves. Prayer for others is the perfect opportunity to share the love of Christ with them and it provides opportunities for us to share the Gospel. This is one way we can store up treasures in heaven.
Lord, help me to open my eyes to the needs of others and the opportunities you provide for me to interact in their lives. Help me to look past the tasks of my daily life and be a blessing on your behalf to the hurting people in this world. Help me to be able to lay my head down at night offering thanksgiving for the blessings I received in following the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than the regrets of my self-centeredness. Help me to truly follow you and to do as you did and to do as you would do.
Brandon Heath Give Me Your Eyes
Look down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touch down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, He's buying time
Pre Chorus / Chorus
I've been here a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
I need a second glance
Give me a second chance
To see the way you've seen the people all along
Chorus