“Pastor, I just got laid off at work, and I can’t pay my rent. The landlord says if I don’t have the money in two days, he’ll evict me. Does the church have any money to help me?”
Churches often get such calls — from total strangers.
It is not always a financial crisis that prompts a call for help. Sometimes it is a marriage problem. Other times people are suffering from abuse of one kind or another.
With our rapid mobility, family and friends are spread across many states. They can’t easily come to each other’s aid. In time of crisis, people turn to the government for help. What they often find is red tape, overburdened resources, and long waits.
People look to the church as a last resort. They are wise to do so. They are not so wise to wait until the roof falls in.
God uses his church family to minister to people in their needs. David writes in Psalm 37:25, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
Rarely have God’s people failed to help one another in time of need. Usually God’s people go way beyond what is needed to help in crisis.
God provides more than just material needs through his church family. Crisis always brings emotional and psychological turmoil. An impersonal government agency cannot meet these needs. God can and does through his people.
God’s people know Jesus. They want to reflect his generous and loving life.
Jesus gave his life on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins. His sacrifice removes God’s anger, gives forgiveness, and brings the assurance of heaven. Only Jesus truly answers the fear, anxiety, and guilt that usually go with crisis.
God’s people want to share this good news and their love. But please, don’t wait for the roof to fall in.
Pastor
