Nancy Hughes: The neighbor

“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

The quiet request last Tuesday morning was simple enough. “Drive around your neighborhood and pray.” 

But two objections immediately came to my mind: first, it was almost 6 am and I was headed home after a hard workout at the local gym and I was tired. And second? The request was spoken to my heart.

This wasn’t the first time the Lord had nudged me to pray. And while I always try to be obedient to what He is directing me to say or do – this was not one of those times. 

All I could think was “Seriously, Lord? Seriously? I’m tired! I’m hungry! People will see me drive by slowly and think I’m a thief looking for an open door.” I countered with an alternative: “What if I pray after I get home, Lord? Isn’t that good enough?”

Instead, my suggestion was met with the same quiet request once again: “drive around your neighborhood and pray.” But this time, I obeyed, turned off my right turn blinking signal and began to drive, slowly, past home after home. My stubborn heart of selfishness began to melt as I prayed over each one. First by the home of a precious lady: “I see her drive by, Lord, nearly every day. I’m sure she is lonely since her husband passed away. Please cover her with courage and strength.”

Another house came into view and yet another, filled with people I only know by a casual wave when I see them. "What do they need, Lord? Are they hurting? Bring people in their lives who are encouragers.” And on I drove. By a home that seems to have more yelling than laughter (“Are they afraid, Lord? Angry? What are their needs? Please let me know.”) and on past a home where I have yet to meet the people living there. “Show me how to be a kind neighbor, Lord.”

The elderly man (“He lives alone, Lord. Please give him hope.”) and the man and wife who serve the Lord despite health issues (“Thank You, Father, for their beautiful witness, no matter what!) were next. Home after home after home.

By the end of my neighborhood prayer drive, I was in tears and ashamed of my initial attitude about praying for my neighbors. Instead of an immediate “yes” to a request from the Lord to intentionally pray, I responded with a “no” because it was not convenient for me and my time schedule. Did you catch that? My convenience and my time schedule.

Would you believe that the very next morning as I was once again driving home from working out, the same nudging occurred? It did. I felt that the Lord was giving me one more opportunity to obey and to care about my neighbors. The difference was that this time I instantly obeyed. And I prayed even more specifically.

My eyes were opened to needs everywhere: branches down in a yard, a family with no church home, food for an elderly neighbor who lives alone, visiting and listening to another – just to name a few! And suddenly I realized why I was nudged to do this: these people in my neighborhood are all children of God! Each one has visible and invisible needs. And while I may never know what all those needs may be, that does not relieve me from the responsibility as a Christian of lifting them up to the Lord and choosing to be available for whatever need may come up.

I need to open my physical and spiritual eyes and then be willing to fill whatever need is revealed to me. And I need to be generous; that may not necessarily be monetarily but generous with my time and whatever talent I may have in my life. I need to love my neighbor as I love myself; in other words, I need to love my neighbors as Jesus loves me. I need to be compassionate toward everyone. Everyone.

What about you? I encourage you to look around as you ask the Lord to show you the needs in your very neighborhood. Jesus refers to “neighbor” as anyone – no matter how close they physically live to you. Start with your neighborhood and then include those around your community, state and even the world. May we never forget to love our neighbor as Jesus does.

Father, please give me your eyes to see my neighbors as you see them. I want to show love and compassion as you have shown me over and over. Help me to see needs and to fill them. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

· Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something but you just didn’t do it?

· What was your reason? Out of your comfort zone? Just didn’t want to do it?

Apply

· Make time to either drive or walk through your neighborhood periodically and pray over each home. Ask the Lord to show you how you can help your neighbor.

· Make a point to meet neighbors you might not know where you live. Also pray for neighbors in other countries who need encouragement.

Power

· Galatians 5:14 (NIV) “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

· Mark 12:30-21 NIV “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

· Proverbs 3:28 (NIV) “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow – when you now have it with you.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)