What Can I Do to Help?

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." I Timothy 2:1-2

Have you ever wanted to help someone else but didn't know how?  I think a lot of people have felt that way recently. My heart breaks for the hundred or so people who have been denied the opportunity to finish the Russian adoption process.  They're being forced to leave their children behind in Russian orphanages, and there's nothing that we can do about it.  And I think about the citizens of North Korea who are captive to a corrupt regime and who are living in poverty beyond our wildest imaginations. Even if we wanted to send them humanitarian aid, we couldn't prevent their government from stealing it from them.  (I'm reading a disturbing book by a Christian who has observed life in North Korea.  More on that in another post).

So often, people have needs that we want to meet, but we just don't know how.  When we see people who have these needs that we can't do anything about, we're often told to donate money to some charitable organization.  And while donating to charity is good and necessary, it still won't solve the hurt and pain that many people experience. This is so frustrating when we want to help, but we just don't know how.

Sometimes, there's nothing that we can physically do to extend relief or aid to other people.  But that doesn't mean that we have no effective measures to help them.  Too often we forget that we have the ability to pray to a mighty God who can do the impossible.  We shouldn't rely on prayer as our back-up plan for helping others.  It should be the first thing that we do.  In fact, as Paul urges us in I Timothy, we are to "pray for all people."

I have been convicted about the fact that I don't pray enough for the needs of others.  When I was working in the hospital as a nurse, I used to start my days off praying for my patients (and literally praying that I wouldn't make a mistake that could harm them.)  But for some reason, when I see someone in need outside of the hospital setting, I don't always start the helping process with prayer.  Yet, praying to God is the most powerful tool that I have to help other people. 

So the next time my heart is heavy and burdened for someone else, I'm going to pray for them before I do anything. I know that my God is great and can provide comfort to those who are hurting and relief to those who are suffering.  My God can do anything, so why not help others by praying for what seems impossible?