Meagan and I were just walking back from a travel agency and ran into a woman on the street. She was sitting on a doorstep with her two little boys. She asked if we spoke Spanish. We do. She went into her spiel of how her husband has died and she has to take care of her boys on her own. Her youngest boy unzipped his pants and peed on the sidewalk next to where I stood. I tried to jump out of the way but it still splashed over my ankles. The mother apologized and continued on with her speech.
Now, here’s where I’m going to be honest. I’m praying for more mercy, but normally I don’t have a lot. I’ve grown pretty cynical when it comes to people begging for money and I think there’s a better way to serve them. Maybe grab some lunch or snacks to share, but money doesn’t seem to help any. I just see giving money as a typical rich thing to do. “Here you go. Have my pocket change and I’ll forget your name 10 minutes from now.” Seeing how the Lord moved and touched people in Mexico has ruined me. When He allows His presence to touch someone, they are filled with something that cannot be ruined nor returned. They are left changed and encouraged. How can money compare with this?
Meagan and I exchanged ‘what do we do?’ glances. Both of us were hesitant to give this woman money. Instead of saying ‘no’ to her right off, Meagan asked if we could pray for her. As if she didn’t hear us, she asked for money again. Meagan didn’t relent. She asked her again if we could pray over her. After a few moments, the woman rolled her eyes and said ‘sure’. So we prayed over her. We asked the Lord to show himself to her and allow her to feel him. We asked Him to provide for her. That she would turn from providing for herself in this way and trust in Him to take care of her. After we prayed, Meagan told her that the Lord would be her provider. That He is the one to take care of her and her sons. The woman dismissed it and asked for money once again.
What do you do in a situation like that? This woman didn’t want to know that God would help her, or be her provider or care for her family. She just wanted the monetary means of supplication. She wanted the goods, not the God. How often do we pray like that? I like to think of it as lusting after God. How often do we lust for the quick satisfaction and forget the relationship with our Maker? When do we become more concerned with monetary means than faith in the Lord?
Ahhhh Jesus! Breathe on this town! Breathe life into this nation. They need you. We need you!
