Last week I had the unique opportunity to go to the county hospital and pray with a young man that I did not previously know. He has been in a bad auto accident and had been taken to the hospital unconscious. Upon entering the man's room I over heard that he was being yelled at over the phone by another person. After he hung up the phone he told me that he has borrowed the car that was totaled and had now lost a friend because he fell asleep and drifted into the street and this was the cause of the accident. After a short conversation the man was very sorry for what had happened to the car he was driving and the wreck that he had caused. He began to tell me that he was hoping to apologize to the person who hit him (not otherwise harmed except auto damage).
It was then that the Lord laid on my heart to share the story of the prodigal son. I told him about the apology speech that the son was rehearsing for his dad and how the dad ran to forgive him before the speech was actually delivered. As the story came out the young had tears streaming down his face and through broken speech said, "that is my Father!"
It was a beautiful scene to see him see himself through the eyes of his heavenly Father and to hear the means through which he can be reconciled to his Father. It may have seemed strange to go and visit a young man that I had no connection to other than knowing, second-hand, of his situation. I am not a professional pastor and I was not trying to recruit him for my church. I was just a dude showing him the tangible love of Christ in the middle of a really bad situation.
As I engage more and more in this sort of activity, I am seeing more and more the radical nature of the love of our God for people. It is truly staggering the depths of the love that He has for people. My prayer is that I would be faithful in what He has given me so that He would entrust more of these opportunities to me.
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (John 12:26 ESV)
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. I want to be with Him where He is.