“Everyone needs a hard case in their life…” ~Joey
Do you know any hard cases in your life? Maybe you are experiencing a hard case up close and personal right now. At Gateway, we have met several as God, in His sovereignty, brings them across our path at different events. It may be someone fresh out of prison looking for a job, or a wayward teen, a failing marriage, or a homeless sister or brother in need of some shelter. Sometimes the hard cases we see are a bad health report when the doctors say those dreaded words, “There’s nothing more we can do. It’s time to get your affairs in order.” As we seek the word of God, we find that His ways are not our ways, and he can handle the hard cases. In fact, He specializes in them!
It was a Friday afternoon. We were setting up for Gateway when I received a text message from someone who had just been given a flyer on the street several miles from our home. She asked if we still had room and if she could come because she hadn’t eaten. I said, “Absolutely! Please join us tonight!” She entered our home, not knowing anyone, and enjoyed a hot meal followed by a concert. We connected with her and learned that she was currently homeless and living in her truck with her dogs. There was a freeze coming that night and after Gateway had ended, the Lord provided for her three night’s stay in a pet friendly hotel from some generous believers in the room.
Every couple of weeks Joey will get a message from her, “I’m stranded and I need some gas money. I’m hungry and haven’t eaten in days, can you help me?”
After that first meeting, we told her about some helpful resources and added her to our Gateway prayer list, and we follow up with her a few times a month to see how she is doing. Joey says to me, “Erin, everyone needs some hard cases in their life”. It really keeps our hearts in check when we know that our budget may be tight this month, but there’s always something to give. It may be just a little, it may be a word of encouragement, or a prayer over the phone, but she gives more to us that we could have given to her.
In the book by Rosaria Butterfield, The Gospel comes with a housekey, she tells the story of when her atheist mother came to live with her family for 16 months and just how incredibly difficult that was on everyone. The author writes that if she had not had the painful experience of going through the intensely trying time with her mom, then she and her husband would not have been so compelled to pray daily for her mom’s salvation. Her mother was saved on her deathbed.
Then there was a brother. This past April, two believers from a local church brought him to Gateway. It was the first time for all three of them. He is disabled and arrived sitting on a walker. He lives alone in a small trailer. This couple heard about Gateway and knew he would be welcome, so they picked him up. They had built a relationship with him through a ministry that their church was doing in the Pinehurst area. After we met him that night, we found out at the end of the evening that he did not have any food at home. We were able to send him with leftovers that a generous believer had prepared ahead of time.
Scripture teaches us, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, ‘Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,’ but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?” James 2: 15-16
The Prodigal Child – the Ultimate Hard Case
My prayer mentor told me about a tremendous resource that I want to share with you. It’s a book called Prayers for Prodigals by James Banks. She recommended both listening to the author read the prayers aloud which he wrote for his own children while following along either on Kindle or a hard copy. Some parents I know have stayed up through the night praying these scriptures over their children and this is a great guide to help.
The Lord has placed the hard cases in our lives for a reason and we believe that nothing is too hard for Him. As a church, let us unite together and pray for one another and trust our Lord to do the miraculous!
Send us your prayer requests to gatewaystories@gmail.com and we will send them to our confidential prayer team.