“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed – and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” (Acts 3:16 NLT)
The man to whom Peter referred in the verse above was a crippled beggar who was carried to the Temple every day so he could beg for enough money to enable him to survive. It’s interesting that his name isn’t mentioned, only that he was a beggar.
How like the thousands of people we pass by in the course of our daily routine. As we drive the streets of our city or walk to a shop, encountering nameless faces who mean nothing to us until one day we finally see ourselves in their lonely, frightened, and needy faces. Every face has a story, and every heart has a need.
As I’ve shared before, I’ve wrestled with bouts of depression throughout my life. There are times I feel anxious, yet uncertain of the reason I feel that way. I’m on the verge of bursting into tears, but I don’t know why. My wife and I were watching a program on TV, and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I know I’m loved by the Lord and many others, so why do I get so emotional?
Honestly, I wish I could explain it, but of this one thing I’m sure – in those times, at least in my life, but I suspect in others as well, I don’t need an explanation, I need a hug. I need to feel the warmth of my wife’s loving presence without the obligation to provide an explanation.
Pastor Rick Warren lost his son, Matthew, to suicide. He wrote in a recent Daily Hope devotional: “Our small group came over after Matthew died. They said, ‘We’re spending the night at your house. We’re not going to leave you here alone. We’re going to be with you.’ They didn’t try to give us any words of wisdom. They just gave us the ministry of presence. They slept on our couches and on the floor. I’ll never forget how it held us up.”
He said in the same article: “The deeper the pain, the fewer words you use.” Paul gives us needed insight when he wrote in Galatians 6:2: “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” In a group meeting I attended recently I sat beside a man and his wife whom I know, but we’re not buds. We met at church, but we go to different services, so we don’t see each other very often.
Last year his daughter died, and a few weeks after, his dog died. My daughter owns my heart and there’s no comparison between the loss of a daughter and the loss of a dog, but they both tear your heart out. I had no words of wisdom to share with my friend, but I simply said, “I pray for you and your wife every morning.” He choked up and I wish I had hugged him, but we were both sitting down, and it would have been awkward.
The point is simply this: be sensitive to the needs of people around you. When I’m “down” my wife picks it up before I speak a word. The Lord built her to be sensitive to the needs of others. She has devoted her life to helping people in need and continues that ministry to this day. It’s ironic that even though I’m prone to emotional struggles, I’m slow to recognize them in others. It’s sometimes hard for me to share my emotions with anyone, partly because I literally don’t know why I feel as I do.
All I know is God’s presence is the most satisfying and needed gift that you or I could ever need. I love Pastor Rick’s mention of “the ministry of presence.” How rich and comforting when the Lord’s presence is so real no words are needed.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 