Proverbs 3.27-29 commands, never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time” or “Try me tomorrow” when the money’s right there in your pocket. Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

There is an old Christian song that teaches us we are God’s hands and feet. The famous parable of the Good Samaritan reiterates this truth. Here the Scripture teaches, we are God’s hand for helping people.

We become so angry with God when He fails to help us in our time of need. How many of His people refused to listen, or heard but refused to obey, when He sought to move them to help another? How many people have been left wondering if God cares because God’s people refused to do God’s will by helping those in need? This is a hard thing for us.

For many of us it is hard to receive God’s help because too many of us have given too little to others. Thus, our relationships are shallow, resulting in very little availability for receiving help in our time of need. The deeper and more abundant our relationships with people because of our own giving, serving and affirming, the greater the receiving of help from others will occur in our time of need.

Loving people consistently, intentionally and magnanimously, builds a deep well of reciprocal love that will return to us in our own time of need. We are not to give to get, or love so we will be loved. But if we love, if we give, if we serve because we love God and we love people, we will find it all coming back to us and more.

The first step toward experiencing God is to be like God by helping those in need. The more we do this the more we will find ourselves seeing God and experiencing His presence in our own lives and through our lives.