Clay Carson's Blog
Mark The God-Send / 03.20.09, 02:43 PM
A couple of days ago, I had just posted a blog concerning God’s heart for the poor and destitute and how we as Christians should respond to that. As I stated in that blog, recently God has burdened my heart with a desire to reach out to those in need and to stand up for the rights of the poor and to learn to love them as He loves them. A few hours after I posted that blog I believe God confronted me upfront with that burden. That evening (March 17th) my roommates and I went to the Bulls game, and as we got off the train to walk home after the game, a homeless man approached us and began quoting scripture, specifically verses dealing with God’s treatment of the poor such as Proverbs 28:27 as well as others. As he did this he calmly and very politely asked for some change to get a bite to eat. Still feeling the burden on my heart I reached into my pocket and was able to give him some money. After that happened, I felt this sudden compelling to pray for him, so I asked him if that was ok, he said yes. So Joey, Emily, and I stood with him and prayed, and after we said amen, he did something I never expected….he asked if we could continue in prayer. And then he just started praying. And what was amazing was that he didn’t pray for himself, but he was praying for us. He prayed for our blessing and protection, for God to reveal more of His love to us, for us to continue to seek God. After that he said amen, and we kind of stood there stunned, humbled at the sincerity and earnest heart of this homeless man. Joey then asked him his name and he said it was Mark “like the 2nd book of the New Testament” as he put it. We chatted for a few seconds and started to make our way home and he asked if we wanted his company. We were thrilled with this and enthusiastically accepted his offer to walk with us. As we walked I asked if he would mind sharing his story with us. He told how he had been an electrician and had lost his job last year due to the economy and increasing layoffs. He shared how he had been divorced due to his own sinful nature. His honesty and humility was astounding. The entire time he was calm, sincere, (not the characteristics of your stereotypical homeless person). And over and over he would quote the Bible. He shared with us how the Bible was what got him through each and every day, how if he didn’t read it, didn’t speak it, didn’t commit it to memory, then life on the street would be too much for him. He dependence on God was incredible, and convicting. The verse that says “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God” continually came to mind as Mark shared his story. I began to think of all the other things I rely on to get through my day: food, sleep, shelter, friends, family, business, etc. And the realization crept over me that God and His word wasn’t what was carrying me through each day. This man, Mark, was living without anything material, without so much as a place to rest, and yet was seeking a life of dependence on God far more than I am. After we got to our street, we gave him some contact info about a shelter we knew of, prayed again, and then parted ways. I’ll never forget Mark and the lessons he taught me that night. I sometimes wonder if Mark was an angel…there was just something, different about him. He had such a calming, peaceful presence about him, we all felt safe with him for some reason. I’m not sure if he was an angel or not, and I’m sure I’ll never know. But one thing I do know, he was a God-send, he was a blessing, and God used him to teach me so much about who God is and who God wants me to be: a man living in the humble reliance on God throughout each and every day.
God, teach us to rely and depend on you. Teach us to constantly seek you out, and give us a passion for your Word. Teach us to be like Mark, to be content in Your love despite the lack of material possessions. Thank you for Mark, and for the example he was to me. Amen.
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wow! talk about putting me in my place. It is so awesome that we have a God who knows exactly what we need, and when we need it, before we even realize we needed anything at all. Thank you for sharing your meeting with Mark to us! May we all strive to have a reliance on God as strong as his to not only just get by, but to spread His love to others.
By Katrina / Mar 20, 05:53 PM / #
This is a great story about reaching out to someone only to have yourself be touched by the spirit as well! thats an awesome story!!
By katie / May 11, 09:58 PM / #