30 Days of Prayer: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

Unlike Mr. Rogers, Jake from State Farm, and The Good Samaritan, I’m not always a good neighbor. I truly care about our neighbors and people in general, but sometimes I just want our home to be a fortress of solitude and privacy.

During this COVID-19 quarantine time, it’s easy to avoid people because of the virus and fear. But we, as a family of believers, must have an awareness of the needs of our neighbors around us. Just as in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, we must not just walk past people and pity them, but we must engage with them in some way to truly show the love God has for them.

Here are some simple meaningful ways this has been done in our neighborhood:

• Making and delivering cookies and/or cards
• 7pm porch greetings
• Walks (6 feet apart)
• Getting groceries for the elderly
• Raking leaves
• Simply waving

When we invest our time in our neighbors, they know they are valued and that we care about them. This is especially important for those who are completely isolated during this time.

Give yourself grace, but also make sure to extend a hand of grace to your neighbors. Jesus taught us that we must love others through our actions. By doing these things we are being the person of Jesus to them and bringing God’s love right in to the neighborhood.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are a God who gives us opportunities to show love to our neighbors. Give us eyes and ears to see and hear their needs, and help us to recognize your goodness and grace in our lives so we can extend it forward. We pray specifically for our neighbors’ safety and health, and ask that they may seek and draw nearer to you.

For Reflection:

• Do I know my neighbors’ names? We can start caring for our neighbors simply by getting to know their names and then praying for them.
• What can I do to bless a neighbor today?
• Do I have a right spirit towards all of my neighbors?
• Listen to Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath

Sending a big neighborly wave, Joe Wright