“If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!” (Prov. 19:17 NLT)

The panhandler 

A few years ago, when my office was located downtown, panhandlers would sometimes come into my office and ask for a handout. One young fellow was a frequent visitor and always said, “could I please borrow a couple of dollars?” I knew he was not actually borrowing because he did not have a job and no ability to repay.

One morning I read Proverbs 19:17 in the Bible, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord and he will repay you!” I thought about what it appeared to be saying! “You are ‘lending’ to God when you help the poor, and God will pay you back for it!” Wow, that is a huge promise! Then, as though right on cue, my borrowing friend walked into my office and said, “I really need to borrow five dollars to get a used tire for my car. I will pay you back as soon as I’m able.”

Was this a test? 

This seemed too amazing to be a coincidence, so I said,“Okay, I will help you out, but only if you agree to this one condition; that the five dollars I give you will not be a loan but will instead be a gift!” I held out the five-dollar bill and he reached out and took hold of the edge of it. But I did not let go! He tugged on it and said, “No, I promise to pay you back!” But I kept a tight grip and said, “Look, you have heard my terms, I’m not letting go of the money until you agree!”

He said, “But why?!” And he looked genuinely puzzled. I told him about the Bible verse I had just read shortly before he came in. I said I knew he did not have a job, he was apparently poor, and that he had not ever paid me back for any of the other loans I had given him. I explained that I would rather take my chances with God returning my five dollars than on him ever doing so. So, he finally said, “Okay” and I let go of the money.

I then asked where he was going to get a five-dollar tire and he said he could get one from the local salvage yard nearby. I knew where it was and offered to give him a ride there. On the way, I told Him how God could make a big difference in his life as He has done in mine. But he said he had never personally seen any evidence of God’s existence and was not interested until he had.

Grandpa Gundie

We arrived at the salvage yard, and on our way into the building, we passed an old friend of mine, Grandpa Gundie, who was on his way out the door. We briefly said hello and he proceeded towards his car. Then suddenly, he turned around and yelled loudly, “Wait! Wait!” And both my borrowing friend and I turned around to see what he was saying. Grandpa came rushing over to us, pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket, thrust it towards me, and said, “Jesus told me to give this to you!” I took the money, thanked him for it, and turned to look at my friend who was standing aghast with his mouth open in surprise. I said, “Wow, that didn’t take God long, did it?”

Additional References

“Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” (Prov. 22:9 ESV)

“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” (Prov. 14:31 ESV)

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” (Deut. 15:11 ESV)

“Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.” (Prov. 28:27 ESV)

Therefore…

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 29:35 ESV)