Stop, Listen, and Connect

I like to begin the day by praying that I will be in the right place at the right time to be a blessing to God’s people. It is rather like walking on a road.

God can put people right in our path, and we have a choice: stay on our side of the road and help, or cross over to the other side and don’t help.

The parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37 is a good example of a Jewish “neighbor” being loved by a very unlikely person —a Samaritan passerby. The interesting thing to me as I review this story is that God allowed three people the opportunity to help someone in their path: a Jewish priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. The priest and the Levite crossed to the other side of the road to avoid coming in contact with the injured man. That was a conscious decision.

They thought, No, I’m not going to help! The Samaritan, on the other hand, did not cross to the other side of the road. He chose to help, even unselfishly. We assume he knew he was doing what God would want him to do.

Even the expert in the Jewish law who had asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” had to reluctantly admit the Samaritan was the one who “had mercy” (verse 37, NIV). He stopped, looked, and connected with the injured traveler.

Recently, my friend Rose and I set out on a bike ride along a dirt trail in eastern Oregon. Eventually, we arrived at the end of the trail and spent some time at a beautiful waterfall. Then, since a rainstorm appeared to be approaching, we decided we’d better hurry back. Rounding a switchback in the trail, we saw a woman walking quickly. She called out, “Have you seen a little girl?” We hadn’t.

She hurried past. A man right behind her breathlessly explained, “Our daughter is missing! She is nine and [holding out his hand] about this tall.” Rose replied, “We’ll help you look, but first, I want to use the restroom up the trail.” I pedaled off down the trail, praying and trusting in the promise of Psalm 120:1 (today’s text).

Circling back a bit later, I met up with Rose.

She said, “As I approached the restroom, I heard a child inside singing. It turns out she was that couple’s missing girl!” Because Rose and I had stopped, listened, and connected with these parents in distress, God used our prayers and outreach to these “neighbors” to reunite a family.

Diane Pestes