May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy. (Ps. 72:4)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 72:1-11
A friend invited me to hear her preach. I’d never visited her church before, so I got there early. I walked into the sanctuary and people stared. I wondered if I was dressed appropriately or had done something wrong; or maybe people were just curious about me since it was a small church, and I was obviously a visitor. I took a seat and that was the first time anyone spoke to me directly. I was told that I needed to move because that seat belonged to someone. I felt a bit embarrassed as I moved a few seats back and hoped I was not in someone else’s seat. When I told my friend about my experience, she explained that the usher was absent, otherwise I would have been shown to an appropriate seat upon arriving.
This experience helped me to understand that we are all God’s representatives, and we shouldn’t wait to receive a title or position to lend a helping hand. I’ve fallen into this trap myself, particularly at larger churches, thinking that someone else would point the obviously lost person in the right direction. This experience has implications outside the walls of the church as well—how am I serving the lost? Am I helping them to see the hope we have in Christ?
The King is our provider, and we are his hands and feet.
Serve as God’s ambassador wherever you go.
Angela Golden Bryan is a graduate of Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. She and her husband live in South Florida.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
