Seeking

Two weeks ago, he approached me in the parking lot at House of the Harvest. It is a pretty frequent visitor, but we haven’t had the opportunity to talk much lately. I had a conversation with him the first time that he came. Since then, we always greet each other, but haven’t really had a meaningful conversation. I didn’t think anyways. I guess you never know your influence. 

On this particular day a couple of weeks ago, he really opened up. He was in a pretty desperate place. His marriage was really in a troublesome place. They have been together almost forty years. She was preparing to walk out. He was desperate to keep her. He was pretty helpless. Hope is a really important piece of our spirit. We do strange things when we lose hope. All of us have experienced that on different levels. Point is, when we begin to view a situation as hopeless, we start searching for a way out of it. This is where they were. 

I didn’t have much to offer. It’s funny how much is out there. Books, videos, counseling services, any other fix your marriage strategies that I am unaware of. I’m sure those things are great. But who do you recommend when you don’t know who to recommend? I mean the therapy is only as good as the therapist. And the counseling is only as the counselor. Well...and the reception of the one who is receiving. And does it do much good to suggest marriage counseling to someone who is in line at the local food pantry? I would imagine that it is quite expensive. 

I told him he came to the wrong guy. He replied, “I just wanted you to pray with me about it.” That I can do. And I am happy to do. So we prayed that morning for his heart toward his wife, her heart toward him. We prayed for God to intervene in their relationship, to heal, to cleanse, to bring back hope, to overcome the darkness. Tears rolled down his face. I felt for him...genuinely. I don’t know their story. Don’t know how to help. Don’t know how to give him advice or direction. But I felt for him. And I thought, “Maybe him knowing that someone else cares will be enough to keep him going for another week.” 

Well, he came back the next week. He was singing a little different song. In fact, it was the first time that he had approached me smiling in quite some time. His story was transformation. They woke up on Sunday and, for the first time in years, his wife suggested church. They went...the message was on marriage. It pricked both of their hearts pretty good. They both responded. “It’s been the best week we have had in a long, long time,” he said. 

“I’m glad to hear that,” I reply. 

He says, “It’s because you prayed for us.” 

“It’s not about me at all. It’s ALL about you. It’s because you were desperate and you went to the only One that had the answer. You trusted in Him when you had nothing else to trust. You asked for that prayer. You knew where to go. You just wanted someone to go there with you. You are a child of God. You’re wife is a child of God. And He needs you to know that He loves you both. You see...it has nothing to do with me. I’m always here to listen and to support. But you don't need me. You have everything that you need.”

And I guess that is what I want you to hear this morning. No matter what you are dealing with, you have somewhere to go. You don’t need anyone to take you there. You don’t need any other solution. You have access to the best Solution out there. And He is waiting for you to tap into it. Jesus said it like this, “Seek and you will find.” So prayers for you to keep seeking and, as always, that you will find.