“The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
– 2 Samuel 9:3
A true story is told of a British factory worker and his wife who were excited when, after many years of trying to become pregnant, they discovered they were going to have their very first child. So this man relayed the good news of his wife’s pregnancy to his fellow workers at the factory, and told them that God had answered his prayers for a child. But his coworkers made fun of him for asking God for a child.
When the baby was born, he was diagnosed with having Down’s Syndrome. And as the father made his way to work for the first time after the birth, he wondered how to face his coworkers. “God, please give me wisdom,” he prayed. Just as he feared, some said mockingly, “So, God gave you this child?!” The new father stood for a long time, silently asking God for help. At last he said,
“I’m certainly glad the Lord gave this child to me and not to you!”
As this man accepted his disabled son as God’s gift to him, so David was pleased to show kindness to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, despite his condition. Some may have rejected Mephibosheth because he was lame, but David’s action showed that he valued him greatly.
In the very same way, our sin has mangled our appearance in the eyes of God. Yet because of His love for us in Christ, He has looked past our iniquities and accepted us unconditionally. And it’s by that same grace that we show kindness and acceptance to others when the world rejects them.
Prayer Challenge:
Ask God to show you someone in your life to whom you can show the kindness and acceptance that only comes from Him!