God Really Is Kind

This week I stumbled across a video. It was nestled in amongst the countless videos and articles – many of them church related – that made up my Facebook news feed, and despite it’s ordinary look I was drawn to click play. It was a Pastor from Belfast, filming at home, telling his story of suffering from COVID-19 and particularly an incident that took place whilst he was in the isolation ward in hospital.

God Loves Crisps…

This Pastor describes a night where he really took a turn for the worse and truly feared for his life. Crying out in prayer, he asked for something, anything from God; a touch, encouragement, even supernatural healing. And God sent a cleaner.

Due to being on the isolation ward cleaners were the only people allowed onto the ward other than medical staff, and this particular cleaner got talking to Pastor Lee. He spoke with him about many things but eventually shared that he had been a missionary in Nigeria for 14 years and seen God use him in powerful ways to bring many people to faith through that time.

Imagine that! In a hospital full of people, God heard the desperate cries of one of His children and sent a cleaner to encourage him with stories of His love, faithfulness and power to transform lives.

This cleaner then stood at the door and prayed healing and encouragement for the Pastor, who in the course of that night began to recover. That is not the main testimony however, because the next day this Pastor notes that he suddenly had a craving for prawn cocktail crisps and a can of coke (the man has good taste…).

An almost cheeky prayer followed; 

“God, you couldn’t possibly get these things for me could you…?” 

Later that day who should return, but the cleaner carrying a bag.

“It’s a gift from the Lord,” he said as he handed over the bag containing two oranges, a can of coke, and a packet of prawn cocktail crisps!

I need God’s kindness…

I wonder what comes to mind when you think of God? Myth, power, tyrant, lion, king, friend? It’s sometimes easy to slip into thinking of God as a hard taskmaster or a standard to be reached. But I believe this testimony leaves us with only one image – kindness. God is so kind that he listens to His son’s basic little request for a packet of crisps (whilst also giving him two oranges for vitamin C, because He’s a good Dad…).

On its own this is an amazing testimony of the kindness of God, but what is more incredible is that I stumbled across it at a time when I too needed encouragement from God. The perfect timing of a testimony of God’s kindness was itself a reminder of His kindness! Friends – God is kind. He really is.

He sent Pastor Lee a cleaner, He sent me a video, and He sent His son for us all. The Apostle Paul reminds his friend and co-worker Titus this:

‘…the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour’ – Titus 3:4-6 NIV.

Hebrews, she brews…

In the Psalms and other places in the Old Testament we often hear of God’s ‘steadfast love’ or ‘great kindness’. These phrases are often translations of the Hebrew word ‘hesed’ which simply put describes the love or mercy God shows towards humanity.

The King James Version clearly can’t decide between the two - love or mercy - so just mashes them together in the beautiful word – lovingkindness. 

‘thy lovingkindness is better than life’ – Psalm 63:3 KJV.

It can be easy to feel overwhelmed at the moment, with the news, a different pattern of work or lack of work, house fever, family dynamics, social media going wild, or countless zoom calls! 

On top of all this we can view church, prayer, or our walk with God as another pressure or expectation to be met. But Christ did not say, “here are my expectations – now fulfil them” he said, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” [Matt 11:30]. God is kind, He really is.   

Finally…

As we begin this journey into the unknown let’s pray like never before, let’s use the extra space we might have to deepen our dependence on God, let’s support our friends and family and serve in new and creative ways – yes and Amen.

But first, let’s pause and remember the hesed (lovingkindness) of the Lord. Do all that you do from a tank that is full of the lovingkindness of God. He is not waiting at the end of this marathon with a stopwatch and a scowl, He’s running towards you daily with his arms wide open.

So pause before you pray in this season, get the view of God as loving Farther into your mind because that is who He is. Dwell there, and then pray, 

‘Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.’ – Psalm 69:16 KJV.

J   

You can watch Pastor Lee's testimony here