Powerball Letdown

A lot of people were talking about the Powerball Lottery over the last few days.  I heard that in the 24 hours before the drawing, 105,000 people an hour were buying new tickets.  (And that sounds a little low to me!)  In the hours after the drawing, a picture of a Powerball winner was circulating on Facebook with a note that he would give away one of his millions to a random person who "reposted" his picture.  It was a hoax, but over 450,000 people reposted the picture, hoping at a second chance to get some of that Powerball cash.

My lottery tickets were duds, too.  Now ... long ago, my Dad had impressed on me that the lottery was a "voluntary tax on people who can't do math".  So I didn't buy any tickets - they came in the mail. 

Just before the Powerball drawing, a letter arrived from an old friend of mine.  Out came two lottery tickets and a note.  He said he hadn't bought a lottery ticket in close to 20 years, but he bought two to send to me  - for me and "the people of Haiti".  Why? Just in case God decided to "multiply the gift". 

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me a really beautiful gesture.  Lottery winners often talk about what they will do with their winnings - and the list usually includes things like buying a house, quitting work, travel, helping friends, etc.  Rarely do they talk too much about charity - and I've certainly never heard of anyone giving it ALL away. 

So it was a cool idea and I have to admit that I did check the tickets against the winning numbers ... and felt a bit of a let down when they proved worthless.

And then the Lord reminded me of an incident from my youth pastoring days in Shelbyville. 

I had gotten close to a broken family living in a trailer park on the edge of town. The mom was out of the picture and the dad struggled to keep the rest of the family together and find enough work to keep the bills paid.  One day I stopped by and the father said he was just on his way out - to a big bingo game!  He explained that he didn't have enough money to cover the rent, so he was praying God would allow him to win the jackpot.  I told him that it seemed to me that some of his friends at church - including me! - would gladly give him some money to tide him over.  But my friend insisted that God could easily rig the bingo game for him and thus provide for his need.

He didn't get the rent money that night.  When I checked on him later and heard of his "bad luck", I gladly gave him the rent money he was short.  He sheepishly ... and gratefully ... took it. 

And I remember thinking after that little encounter that God very well could have worked a "miracle" and given this man the bingo money, but that would have left me - his brother in Christ - out of the picture completely.  It was my JOY to be able to share with this man.  I had the means and he had a real need and so it was an opportunity for me to SHOW him love.

And if you look at the multitude of Scriptures that deal with how we should relate to the poor - some of the strongest worded can be found in Isaiah 58, partially quoted below - then you realize that it's an obedience issue for the believer.  And if God has the choice to provide for the needs of the poor through a gambling jackpot on one hand or while teaching a lesson in obedience, love and  stewardship to believing brothers and sisters on the other, is it any surprise that 99.999999% of the time God does not answer our needs by helping us hit the jackpot?

Confession Time:  A year ago when we first started the process of raising funds to get our family to Haiti, I entered the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes through a link that popped up on some website.  And I prayed.  (And this was LONG after I had "learned" that God works more often through His people than through Bingo!  I am a slooooooowwww learner.) 

Since then, I have realized that a lump sum from Publisher's would have been a shortcut around a lot of great meetings, conversations, and learning experiences this past year.  Besides, who on earth would have been invested in our ministry in Haiti and who would have been praying for us?

And yet having said all this... Guess what ... 
I DID GET SOMETHING from Publisher's Clearing House! 

Daily spam in my inbox.



Isaiah 58:
⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

 

It's our privilege as believers to join God in His work around the planet.  And one of His top priorities seems to be the poor.  As a "pre-missionary", I am simply extending the invitation to other believers to put some of their (God's) money to work in what God is doing in Haiti.  I have (slowly!) come to understand that being about the work of God is not an optional "add-on" to the Christian life, it IS the Christian life.  If you'd consider joining in THIS work, partner with us at  grossesinhaiti.com.

 

And I promise I won't spam you.