Prayer is a beautiful and powerful thing, but sometimes, it feels like we use it as a way to avoid taking action. Especially when it comes to the homeless population, we’ve been told, directly or indirectly, not to help, not to engage. Instead, we are told to pray for them, hope for their recovery, or wish them well. While prayer has its place, sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and get involved. The Good Samaritan didn’t just say a prayer and walk away—he took action. That’s the example we need to follow today.
The Homeless Population: Ignored and Forgotten
Take a walk through any major city, and you’ll see the extent of the homeless crisis. Tents lined up along the sidewalks, makeshift shelters in parks, and people standing on street corners asking for help. Yet, in many places, we are told not to engage. Authorities, community leaders, and even friends might advise us to “leave it to the professionals” or “don’t give them money because they’ll just spend it on drugs.”
But what if we actually helped? What if we treated the homeless like human beings with complex stories, rather than problems to be swept under the rug? It’s all too easy to avoid eye contact, send up a quick prayer, and keep walking. But for those of us who can help in person—who have resources, time, or even just a few words of kindness—shouldn’t we be doing more?
The Good Samaritan: A Lesson in Compassion
The story of the Good Samaritan is one we’ve all heard, but its message seems to get lost in translation these days. The Good Samaritan didn’t see a man in need and offer a quick prayer before moving on. He stopped. He helped. He bandaged the man’s wounds, took him to a safe place, and made sure he had what he needed to recover. He took real, tangible action.
That’s the example we should follow. There are many ways to help—handing out food, offering water, or simply acknowledging the person in front of us with a kind word. If you have the means to help someone in person, why rely solely on prayer? Why walk away when you could be the solution?
Being Told Not to Help
We’ve all heard the warnings. “Don’t give them money.” “They’ll just waste it.” “It’s not safe.” And in some cases, sure, there are real concerns about safety or enabling harmful behaviors. But too often, these warnings are used as excuses to do nothing. Helping doesn’t always mean giving cash. It can mean offering a meal, pointing someone toward a resource center, or simply showing them kindness and dignity.
The idea that we shouldn’t help the homeless because we might “make it worse” is, frankly, an absurd justification for apathy. If the Good Samaritan had listened to that logic, he would have left the injured man on the side of the road, thinking, “Well, if I help him, he might just get hurt again.”
We Can Be the Good Samaritan Today
We don’t live in a world where we can always rely on someone else to take care of those in need. Governments and organizations do their part, but the problem is too big for them to handle alone. The homeless population continues to grow, and many are left without proper care, resources, or hope. We can step in. We can be the modern-day Good Samaritans.
For some, that means volunteering at a shelter or donating to charities that provide food, clothing, and shelter. For others, it’s as simple as carrying a few extra bottles of water in your car or keeping snack bars in your bag to hand out. And if you can’t give something material, you can still offer something just as valuable: time, attention, and respect.
Prayer and Action: A Powerful Combination
Let’s not misunderstand the power of prayer—it can be a source of comfort, guidance, and connection to something greater than ourselves. But prayer should never be a substitute for action. We’re all capable of doing something, no matter how small. And when we take that step, we bring the love, compassion, and healing we’ve prayed for into the real world.
So yes, pray for those in need, but don’t stop there. When you can help in person, do it. Be the Good Samaritan. Because sometimes, the answer to someone’s prayer is you.
by Dan and Bonkers
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