Matthew 25:34-36 – Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (NIV)

While my three-legged foster cat, Caesar, was learning to walk again after the amputation of a hind leg, I put a fence across my hallway so that he could move about in safety and not be harassed by my dogs. Caesar was afraid of the dogs, and the dogs were fearful of this strange feline in their space. Soon, the fence became known as the hissing wall as Caesar hissed at the dogs from one side, and the dogs hissed back.

Watching this spectacle caused me to consider today's Scripture. Why? Because sometimes we, too, can erect walls between ourselves and the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the addicted, the stranger, and the incarcerated. In turn, they, too, may erect walls against us. We may not trust them or know how to approach them, just as they may not trust us or know how to accept a helping hand. Thus, it is easy for all of us to end up at the hissing wall.

However, by means of the love of Christ, God calls us to break down the hissing wall and to do what is right in His sight: to help those who need our help, no matter what their circumstance. We are to help them, not in our own wisdom and strength, but in His, through the power of His Holy Spirit Who knows exactly what each person needs and how to go about helping them, if we will only trust Him and humbly ask Him to reveal these things to us.

For years, I maintained that I would never work with incarcerated individuals. Some time ago, however, a friend asked me to consider working with Crossroads Prison Ministries. After praying, I felt God calling me to do so. With His help, I now tutor three students by marking their Bible studies and writing personal letters to accompany each study when it is returned to them. My hissing wall has been dismantled by the love that God has placed in my heart for each of my students, in spite of whatever reason that they are where they are. The Holy Spirit also routinely opens my eyes to their needs and guides my words in my return letters to them.

What hissing walls might God be wanting to break down in your life? Are you prepared and willing for Him to do so?

Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your love that allows us to break down walls rather than building them. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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