"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than to give a helping hand to someone in the dark." Helen Keller
Nothing surprises our Master. Nothing, absolutely nothing! He is the Master of every circumstance. His strength and power never fail. He is indeed the Great I Am, the eternally self-sufficient, powerful, and ever-present One. He is always there in every need (Deut. 31:6; Matt. 28:20; Rom. 8:38-39). We need not fear (John 16:33) for He is willing and able to give us peace in each and every situation (John 14:27). His word to us remains the same,
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32)
Having said all of that, it is a good time to remind us that Christ is Lord of every circumstance, there are no coincidences with Him. He knows the end from the beginning and He and He alone will make the final decision (Isaiah 46:10).
The Good Samaritan was good, but only in the providence of God, for scripture tells us that it was by a divinely ordained coincidence (by chance) that the priest and the Levite and he came upon the bruised and wounded man lying in the ditch on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The good Samaritan, however, was the only one who compassionately responded to the poor man. You know the story. The story, however, doesn’t end there. We, too, are good Samaritans as we respond to the needs of others in need (Ephesians 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1; Philippians 4:6). As Christians, our motto is first and foremost “Others.” For if we do not love the brother or our neighbor whom we have seen, how can we love God whom we have not seen (1 John 4:20)?
For most of us, this coronavirus pandemic should trigger a spiritual inventory. Are we the Christians we say we are? Do we smart off and wisecrack about the Chinese just because the first known cases happen to come from the Yunnan Province in China? Do we nitpick and criticize almost every move the present administration takes? What do we do about the poor illegal alien among us with a house full of children, particularly since the stimulus package completely overlooked them? Forget the wall for a moment. Mercy is bigger than any wall. Yes, our borders should be protected, but so must also those indigent aliens among us. Now’s not the time for revenge. Let the law, the government, and others work through that, but during the meantime, each of us is called to be the Good Samaritan, not just in talk but in action.
So, reach out in kindness to the “Others” among us. It is not just a chance of circumstance that God has allowed these particular cases to materialize in plain view in our neighborhoods. Opportunities are there. Just look. You’ll never regret that you did.
Take care, the life you
save may just be yours.
JimR_/
