Stranger in the Night

Ding dong! “Is that the doorbell?” I said to my wife at 3am, recently. We rise up in bed. I try to wake up some and put more clothes on. It is pitch-black outside and no streetlight anywhere near our home among a strip of houses in the outskirts of town. We turn on the front porch light. I look out the upstairs window to see who is standing near our front door. The young adult male has a baseball cap on and hands in both pockets. Hmmmn?

“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