“What should we do?” we asked each other. “Should I get a
weapon?” I thought. My wife said, “No. He could take it away from you and use
it.” “Should we call the police?” I asked. “No. You don’t need to call the
police,” she stated. I’m praying internally about what to do, whether I should
open our front door or not. I have a wife and four young kids, including a baby
girl. What would you do?
I was thinking about some possible scenarios. This guy could
be planning to scam or con me in some way. Maybe he is after money or
prescription drugs. Maybe this might become a home invasion. If I go out there
I may be taken advantage of, threatened or even harmed in some way. I was also
thinking this was just another test of faith in God and as a Christ-follower I
am to help people in need.
I felt my next step should be to communicate with this
stranger through the door to find out why he just rang our doorbell. I asked
him, “Can I help you?” The man responded with, “I need a wrench for my truck. I
was just on my way home from work and it stopped.” This guy wasn’t erratic. It
didn’t seem like an urgent emergency. Maybe he just needed some help with his
vehicle. But it is very late. There is no one else around that I’m aware of.
And it is very dark out there.
What do I do next? Do I give him a wrench”? Do I open the
front door? Do I not help him directly or at all? Maybe I should call a
neighbor or my relatives who live nearby. Two are better than one (Eccl. 4:9a).
I thought to myself that there are two 24/7 service stations
about one mile down the road and that is what I told him through the door. His
response was, “I can’t drive my truck. Thanks.” And he walked off into the
dark. I went back to the upstairs window where I could barely see him doing
something on a vehicle in front of my neighbor’s yard. I am thinking that this
is not over.
Should I do something else? About five to ten minutes passed
and the truck started and he drove off into the night. I did not hear any
voices or notice any other vehicles. This is good news that he was able to
drive off because he did tell me he could not drive the truck. But maybe that
was a lie. I don’t know. What would you do if you were in my shoes, or
slippers, that night?
I have helped strangers many times, even taking some of my
boys with me in our vehicle while giving strangers a ride somewhere. But I seem
to remember all those occasions were during the daylight. I still prayed and
trusted God through them. I remember once when a stranger called the church,
where I was pastoring, asking for a ride for some gasoline because his truck
ran out of gas. I drove to pick him up and along the way I prayed for increased
faith in God and for divine protection in case this man wanted to take
advantage of me, steal from me, or harm me somehow. That moment of ministry
went well and I had a good conversation with the guy.
Then, there was that time in my early adult years, before I
was a pastor, when I lied to a stranger about not having jumper cables because
I did not want to be inconvenienced in helping him. It was wrong for me to lie
and I had the means to help him but didn’t because of convenience. I believe
that was wrong as well. Praise God for His grace and forgiveness when we humbly
confess our sin to Him. That was a teachable moment. I want to help people when
I am able to do so.
Proverbs
3:27-28 ESV Do
not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do
it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
And of course Christ Followers are called to be Good
Samaritans to strangers in need (see Luke 10). I recognize these biblical
principles and my heart was stirred on this particular night to help this
stranger but I also discerned that I should be protecting my family as well as
I can and I should not act impulsively or foolishly under these circumstances. We
lock the doors at night for a reason.
Nehemiah wrote this
about protecting your families against the threat of violent enemies.
Nehemiah 4:14b ESV ..“Do not
be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for
your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
Jesus pointed this
out. Luke 11:21 ESV When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;
Jesus also said this one time to His disciples when
sending them out into world. Luke 22:35-36 ESV 35And
he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals,
did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36
He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it,
and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and
buy one.
I believe we are to trust the Lord for provision and
protection but this doesn’t mean we don’t work when we are able to or that we
foolishly ignore safety concerns and just see what happens. On this particular
night, I discerned that I was to be cautious and protect my family. Perhaps I
could refer the stranger to help nearby or call someone on his behalf but I was
not going to open the front door to him at this time. I felt a little spiritual
guilt about this at first but overall I believe I made the right decision on
this occasion.
What do you think?
Mike
