The Kikuyu tribe in Kenya have this proverb; ‘never interview a hungry man.’ It is a common delay tactic for those of us who call ourselves Christians. No matter how dire the situation might be, we find a way to delay, defer, distract, debrief and deter any solution, until we have the answers we want.
This is how it works for me. Once I have the answers, I hold my head down checking my list, and closing my eyes (at least one of them) praying and observing that they have really moved on. That buys even more time and serves to let God know I am really serious about the matter before me.
When the Christ said;
- I was hungry. I ask; have you lost any weight?
- I was naked. What is your shoe size?
- I was thirsty. Do you have a glass or bottle for water?
- I was in prison. Just how big was your cell?
- I was sick. What did you do to acquire this illness?
- I was homeless. How is life on the streets?
- I was a stranger. Would you like me to introduce you to people like you?
- I have good precedence for this behavior.
The disciples did the same thing. Mark 6:36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. Mark 6:37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
We debate because it keeps us from actually doing what we are called to do. Jesus has the only real answer for our self-absorbed negotiations. These rhetorical questions are not only endless, but they serve to deny the power of God to be able to work and thus deny His glory.
Don’t pray about it. Don’t think about it. Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you give it shall be given to you again.
Riddle the hungry with rhetoric. God is listening and watching as you weigh out your options and measure your response. He will bless you in that same measure.