here were many times when Jesus met hopeless people on the road during His travels. These were people who did not have the benefit of today’s great medicinal breakthroughs.

Can you imagine living with a disease or handicap where there was never any hope that your condition would improve?  We have some precious people in our society (and in our church) that are in just such a predicament! I pray you and I will never forget or become callous about their presence. Some of these people have been sent to us as “Gifts” by the Lord. It is our job to watch over them; love them; and help meet their needs!

Last Sunday, one such “special” person made his way to the front of our church to dance before the Lord. “Tater” is very special and I believe he loves God with all his heart! While Tater showed his exuberance for Jesus, a man named Barry placed a banner in his hands and then moved away. At first, I was a little concerned that Tater might not be able to hold the heavy object but he did just fine! As I played my tambourine in unison with Tater’s excitement, I wondered how the Lord felt about all this. He spoke to me, “I like it!”

There have been times (sad times) in the history of man and the church when special people like Tater were hidden in the shadows and, sadder still, discouraged from participating in the lives of “normal” people. I praise God that our church is different!

Not long ago, George’s mom passed away and it was my honor to sing at her funeral. There was a time in the service when George had an opportunity to reminisce about his mother and he mentioned Edwin, his brother. Edwin comes to our church periodically and is sometimes remembered for his motorized wheelchair that he expertly maneuvers around the room. As George related the special relationship that Edwin had with his mom, his eyes lit up and he showed great excitement, especially when George told about some of the humorous times! It became very apparent to everyone at the funeral that Edwin has always been a very special part of the family.

I believe this is the main reason why Jesus seldom dealt with the “whys” of life. In John, chapter 9, Jesus met a man who had been blind from birth. Most of the people standing around him were more concerned with why the man was born blind than they were with the man himself. Jesus healed the man but not before admonishing the crowd that no one had “sinned” thereby causing the blindness. 

Sometimes, things are caused by God; sometimes things happen because Satan sticks his nose in our business; and sometimes we mess up our own lives! However, there is one more possibility that we rarely consider…sometimes things JUST HAPPEN! And, maybe, there’s not suppose to be a reason behind it other than the reason Jesus gave the crowd, “that the works of God should be made manifest in Him.”

You see, the “works of God” were probably being manifested in the blind man long BEFORE Jesus healed him! Why do we always consider the lack of a physical healing a failure?

Once, the Lord commanded me to go and see a man named Ray. He was totally paralyzed from the neck down. I went to see Ray EVERY DAY for over one (1) year before he died. In fact, I was with him when he died. That is a year I will never forget. Many  prayed for Ray and fasted for him. Sometimes, I complained to the Lord as to why he was sending me over there day after day. One day, while watching the way his wife and kids ministered to him, the Lord spoke to me, “I want you here to see what kind of pastor YOU AREN’T!” It hit me hard, but I knew what God was talking about. How much do you and I really care about these “special” ones that God has sent us!

Yes, that day on the road, HOPE AND HOPELESSNESS came face to face and hope won the day! But, listen, the same thing can happen today in your church and in your life. If your spiritual eyes are open, God will reveal to you how you can also bring hope to those in your congregation who have special needs.

Actually, we all fall into that category from time to time. There have been moments in the last couple of years of my own life when I felt handicapped emotionally. How about you? Do you ever feel like you’ve reached the limit and you can’t bear it all for another day? When you get like that, isn’t it nice when someone comes over and hugs you and ministers to you?

One of the greatest things God will do in your church is to create “BODY MINISTRY.” That’s a term that may be foreign to some of you but it simply means that eventually you should have more ministers than hurting people. All of you are ministers and all of you are ordained by God to minister to one another. 

Look around in your church. Do you see any handicapped people? And I don’t just mean those in wheelchairs. I’m talking about those who are handicapped by their own emotional pain; those who have been hurting so long, they’ve lost hope! What will you do about it? WILL HOPE AND HOPELESSNESS MEET TODAY? I love you!

Disclaimer: Many of the articles on the site were written many years ago. While the lessons and teachings are certainly applicable to issues of today, please note that some of the references mentioned in the article may be dated or otherwise proved inaccurate due to the passage of time. We bring you these articles in their original format. Thank you.