A Prayer for Those Struggling to Love Their Neighbor - Your Daily Prayer - May 28

A Prayer for Those Struggling to Love Their Neighbor
By Sophia Bricker 

Bible Reading:
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19, NIV).

Listen or Read Below:

When Frances Xavier Cabrini landed on the shores of America, she began her mission to serve Italian immigrants in New York. Her perspective was not one of privilege, but of someone who was familiar with the struggles and stereotypes placed on Italians at that time. As a woman and a foreigner, she knew all too well the prejudices against people like her. But her work did not stop with those from her native land–her ministry encompassed any in need of help, from women caught in bad situations to the orphan and the poor. Orphanages, hospitals, and schools that she helped build around the world were open to all in need.   

Because she had lived among the people and been one of them, she served those under her care better. She modeled the love of Christ to those who needed it most.  

The Israelites also knew how it felt to be strangers in an unknown land. For over four hundred years, they lived in Egypt as foreigners and, for most of the time, slaves (see Exodus 12:40). They knew firsthand what it was like to experience mistreatment at the hands of others, and, thus, should not want others to endure the same suffering.  

God specifically encouraged them to remember their past as a people living in a foreign land, so that they could show care to others, just as He had shown compassionate care to them. This included loving foreigners living in their land, reflecting the Lord's love for them. Since God had treated them fairly and shown them love by providing food and clothing, the Israelites were to do the same. They were the best people for the job because of their past.  

In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed that the greatest commandments were to love the Lord and to love one’s neighbor (Mark 12:30-31). A person’s neighbor included not only those who lived nearby, but also those who were quite different in regard to ethnicity, nationality, and location, as the parable of the Good Samaritan shows (Luke 10:25-37). Those who made the costly decision to love their neighbor as themselves were modeling the love of God. And they were, by extension, loving Christ since whatever is done for the poor, hungry, and stranger is done for Him (see Matthew 25:34-40).   

We might not be like Mother Cabrini, traveling the world to establish care for those who are overlooked and oppressed. But we can, like her and other followers of Jesus, enter the dark places around us to bring light and to extend a hand of welcome to the stranger. We can seek to be a friend to the “foreigner” and raise our voices to defend the cause of the needy and oppressed. There are opportunities all around us–in our communities, homes, and workplaces–if we are willing to look.  

Let’s Pray: 

Great God and Defender of the widow and orphan, I often struggle to know how to reach out to those around me who are in need, including the foreigner whom You love and who You call me to love. There is so much need in the world and in my community. How can I, one person among many, make a difference? I feel like my contribution is small and less impactful than those in higher positions or with greater influence.  

Guide me, O Lord, to opportunities where I can use the gifts and resources You have given me to bless and serve others. Keep me from allowing things in life, like fear, politics, or the opinions of those around me, from doing what I know to be right. For by befriending and inviting the stranger, I am welcoming You, Christ. Help me to remember that as I step out in faith today to serve my neighbor.

In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/JackF

Sophia Bricker is a writer. Her mission is to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus through thoughtful articles, devotionals, and stories. She completed a BA and MA in Christian ministry which included extensive study of the Bible and theology, as well as an MFA in creative writing. You can read her thoughts about literature and faith at The Cross, a Pen, and a Page Substack, or visit the discipleship-based site  Cultivate, where she writes with her sister.

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