Day Three: What's the Question?

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in response to a religious scholar. When Jesus tells him to love God wholeheartedly and also love his neighbour as himself, the scholar responds with a question: 'Who is my neighbour?'

Is this my question too? Not really. I know that the beneficiaries of charities and the victims of war need my help. Almost all the emails I receive asking for my money and prayers are legitimate. The people they represent are my neighbours, and I ought to be doing something. But what? Surely God doesn't intend for me to help everyone; meeting all those needs would drain me both materially and spiritually. If I had been with Jesus when He told the parable of the Good Samaritan, my question to Him would have been, "There are so many needs; where should I start?"

The Good Samaritan was confronted with just one person who needed help; that would be much easier. Could we ask God to do the same for us? Might He put a person or issue in our path to which we could commit all our energies and consequently make a real difference?

I posed this question to God when I first moved to Nepal. I was there as a military wife. Had I been in the country as a missionary, I would have been there to do something useful, and before my arrival, I would have received some cultural preparation. Instead, I was totally out of my depth and overwhelmed by the hordes of impoverished people around me.

I began asking God to use me; mercifully, He responded. It was as if one cause called to me more loudly than all the others, and in my case, He asked me to focus on abandoned women.

I suggest you also ask God to clarify where you should start. Invite the Holy Spirit to give you a nudge each time the cause or person He wants you to help is before you. Begin jotting down all these nudges and look for a pattern; this may take several days or weeks. Perhaps you'll find yourself stirred each time young mothers are mentioned on the news; God may want you to reach out to them. Maybe your heart will leap whenever a particular town, county, or nation is brought up at work. Pray about how God would like you to respond.

Reflect: Are you seeking God for how He is specifically inviting you to help others, and are you listening for the answer?

Prayer: Sovereign God, we ask You to speak to us by Your Spirit and to give us a holy nudge each time we should help. You know our limitations and abilities, and we trust that You will guide us. Please help us to hear You speak through the cries of our neighbours and respond appropriately. Amen.