“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18 (NIV)
Whoever calls on the Lord in truth and sincerity, will be answered. Some answers to prayer are not always recognized, because of the simple nature of them.
I experienced an interesting moment yesterday as I was visiting my son’s Nursing Facility. An older lady, who was at a table behind us, started crying out, “Please help me, God!”
saying it over and over. She was a new resident and none of us ever saw her before. We turned to look at her and then at each other, all wondering the same thing, what does she need help with?
So, I went over to her, where she sat alone, with a lunch tray of food on the table in front of her. I asked if I could help her, and she said she wanted to eat the mashed potatoes on her plate, but she couldn’t. Then I noticed that she had a strong tremor in both of her hands, and the vigorous shaking made it impossible for her to feed herself.
I wondered why no nursing assistant was available to help feed her, but I didn’t bother to ask the nurse station to send someone. I assumed they were short staffed that day, so I asked her name, then told her mine. She told me she only wanted to eat her mashed potatoes on her plate, so I fed her. If I were in her place, with tremors in both hands, I would hope someone would help feed me.
After I fed her, I held her glass of beverage, as she drank it all. She told me she was still thirsty, so I went to get her a glass of water, which she drank to the last drop. Occasionally the staff is stretched to the max in a Nursing Facility, and someone could be left like her, helplessly hungry and thirsty. I don’t blame her for calling out loud to God in that moment.
Afterward, I returned to my seat to spend time visiting the residents I knew, along with my son, Jon. On the way home, I thought about her and the sad fact that most residents have no family or friends who ever visit them.
I have been pleased to observe Jon’s recent progress, eating very well and feeding himself every day, for the past month, so I was glad to be able to help someone who cannot feed themself at all.
I thought of Jesus’ words, “I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”
(Matthew 25:35)
Most of the time Jesus doesn’t ask us to do exceptional things, just the simple things, like helping someone eat and drink.
On my way home, I thought about how she never called for a nurse or anyone else, but she called out loud to God, and He heard and answered her. It really hit me on the way home, more than in the actual moment. God draws near to all who call upon Him, and He does it through other people who are nearby.
Sometimes in our lives, we have called upon God, and He answers us through the words or a helpful deed done by a person who happened to be nearby us.
Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me.”
(Matthew 25:40)
Sometimes we forget that how valuable the least of favors can be, in the least of ways, for anyone nearby us. As we begin to see Jesus in others, we find that we can reflect Him to others, through simple words or deeds.
He cares about the least things that we care about and He is near to those who call upon Him.
Most of the time, we don’t have the opportunity to offer a life saving or soul saving act to a stranger, but we can do a simple favor. We just might be the only one who is nearby, when someone is calling out to God, and He uses us to answer their call.
Lord, thank you for being near to those who call upon you, and help us to see how we can be a part of the answer to someone’s prayers. Help us all to know that you are always near to us. Amen