Reflection:
Sometimes the aspect of God’s plans that seems most surprising to us is the calling he puts on our lives. Out of the blue, he suddenly compels us to serve him in ways we least expect.
Our friend Glenn told us he’d always been a shy person. He found speaking difficult. And the one thing he said he’d never do was to visit a prison. Then, in 1997, he was reading Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, about how the person who loves God will feed the hungry and visit those in prison and invite the stranger in. It deeply challenged him. The people he had been avoiding mattered to God. Some months later, a friend asked him to be on a Kairos Prison Ministries team. Glenn felt convicted to say yes.
Twenty-five years later, he’s still involved in prison ministries. He visits two prisons fortnightly, and he’s had a ministry in seven correctional centres. The most surprising thing, he says, is that he’s enjoyed it. It hasn’t been hard. He doesn’t even have to say a lot. He asks the inmates how they are and then he listens. And God works, in his ways and timing. Perhaps today, God is challenging you to serve him in new and surprising ways. Perhaps his word is compelling you to love the strangers and those in need. Will you respond?
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you that your calling on my life isn’t limited to my own imagination or preferences. Please remind me of your heart for those most in need, today, and help me to say yes.