Hebrews 13:2

New King James Version

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

For Meditation

I arrived one day early. The students’ Hall that would house us at Moody Bible College for the Pastor’s conference would not open till the next day. I checked at two nearby hotels for the night. The affordable one was full. Caught in limbo and wandering, I spotted a McDonald’s a little distance away. My stomach churned in agreement, so I walked there and sat over a sandwich, reading “The Roots of Righteousness” by A. W. Tozer. 

A street guy entered and sat close by me. He was not the type you would welcome at your dinner table, but he sat and stared at me. After some time, a security officer asked him to leave. He pleaded for more time, I guessed, to warm up. The officer understood it was difficult for anyone in the streets in Windy Chicago. But I didn’t understand. The man needed food, and I could provide it. The thought flashed through my mind, but I rejected the opportunity to offer a random act of kindness. Yet, I was reading “The Roots of Righteousness.” Who was I kidding? 

The stranger’s time ran out, and the officer asked him to leave. I could sense his pain and reluctance to leave. The urge to buy him some food surged back in me, but I froze. I sat there motionless as the poor man picked himself up and walked towards the exit. He stopped at the door as if to give himself the last opportunity for my offer, but I just looked on. He wiped his nose, straightened his jacket, and entered the street. I visually followed him until he melted into the late afternoon crowd. A  heavy cloud of guilt descended on me and I couldn’t believe I had been so heartless. Should I go after him?

The irony of the situation is that I was also “homeless,” needing a place to stay. After hiding under the guise of having lunch for six hours and feeling warm, I stepped out through the same door the man had exited through and into the same fate.

I dragged my carry-on bag towards the affordable hotel for a last availability check. Somehow, I drifted to the campus of Moody again. This time, I got access to the front desk of the Hall. The kind gentleman at the desk checked for a hotel for me. Just then, a student who felt my need intervened. He offered to accommodate me for the night. What a relief!

The following day, we sat at a table in the cafeteria on campus and chattered over breakfast. The young man had summer classes, so we prayed together. I thanked him and bid him goodbye.

In a day, I had met two angels—a hungry, homeless man who yearned for a hot meal from me and a young student who, with joy, extended hospitality to me. They were both obscured to me then, but now I am reminded of the two experiences. God gave me the opportunity to show kindness to the first angel, but I failed. In a divine intervention, God dispatched yet another angel to instruct me on compassion toward a distressed stranger. Two angels, one message:

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews. 13:2).

Shalom