by Kathy Whited

5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

–Psalm 146:5-10

Ever since I was a child, I noticed that during this season of hope and expectation, people seem to be in better spirits and have kinder hearts. Generally speaking, people seem to live more harmoniously with one another – stranger and friend alike. We also come together to serve those in need during this season of giving. We feel connected, and we are reminded that God is with us.

However, there are also people who do not feel connected – folks who wonder if God is with them. But this psalm rejoices and reminds us that God is ever-present and helps the desperate and needy. Through Him, God has chosen us to deliver peace, freedom and justice by sharing God’s love and compassion with all people. Everyone – no matter how different – is a child of God. Rather than simply feeling sorry for the alienated or suffering, and instead of just writing a check for the hungry, what if we walk with them and build relationships with them? This must be part of what it means to be the hands and feet (eyes and ears, voice and heart) of God. His presence is felt as the Holy Spirit works through us to build relationships while serving those who may also be suffering from spiritual hunger or blindness.

There once was a devotion in Run For God that has stuck with me for a couple of years now. In short, it asked that if God were syrup, are you a pancake or a waffle? Is God compartmentalized into worship, Sunday school and Bible study like the sections of a waffle? Or does God cover every aspect of your life, flowing over the sides, like a pancake? While most of us tend to resemble a waffle, we really want to be a pancake. That means making praise a daily habit, which can be difficult at times.

I suffered two losses in the spring of 1991 and struggled greatly for many months. It wasn’t until a co-worker gave me a devotional book and invited me to a special Advent worship service that the cloud began to lift. She was God’s eyes and ears and hands and feet that pulled me up out of my bed of depression and onto my feet to be fed spiritually. Yep, God was there.