Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families
Last week on a cold and rainy night around 10pm, I received a call from my office manager that one of our staff had become homeless. In trying to help this young man find shelter, there was a lot of back and forth and scouring the internet to try to find affordable housing. The shelters were full, it was too late to rent places, it was all in all very stressful.
In the midst of trying to assist this young man, Faith starts to cry. And as I am soothing Faith, the Holy Spirit started to capture my heart. This young man is just like Faith. A child. But with absolutely no one to help (no parents and all alone in Toronto)… and my heart simply broke.
I was frustrated with the system (shelters were full), I was frustrated in the spirit, I felt so heavy, I felt defeated. I felt defeated because in this 10pm – 1am process there were so many times I felt like “quitting”. I’ll just send him $$ and let him figure it out. I wanted to bless and simply wipe my hands and say I’ve done my part… but the Lord would not let me quit.
In all of this, I was deeply struggling to find what God was trying to do in this – I could recognize God was doing something – but I did not know what. So in these times I always seek council, always seek prayer. I asked the elders to pray, I asked my parents to pray, all of a sudden Pastor Alvin called me to encourage me (without knowing anything)!
When I reached out for prayer from the Family of Lifespring, something amazing happened. Within 18 hours of getting a call for help – this young man who has absolutely no one he can turn to – where no one could identify him by name except for co-workers…
There were 12+ people praying for him by name, $500 from the HOPE ministry to help him find shelter at night, 3 bags of clothing and supplies, resources on how to get into government shelters, an offer to book an AirBNB, an offer to give more $$…
This young man was overwhelmed with kindness. From a world with no one and no hope, to a place of being cared for… this young man was left in tears and gratitude.
As I write this testimony, he has secured housing, he has supplies, he has a bed, and most importantly he knows that there is a church family that was and is willing to love and care for him.
Psalm 68:6
God sets the lonely in families
I realized what God was trying to do and why He needed to get my attention. Challenges in this world can be overwhelming for ME. But in the midst of a Kingdom Family who Genuinely Care for Others… with a Father God who deeply loves all His children… when the Family responds with the power of the Holy Spirit… WE can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Thank you God for allowing us to be part of your plan. May our response as a church family to this situation not be the last. May we learn to show the world how much you love them. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.