Right in Front of Me: A Prayer for a Stranger

As I write this blog, I’m sitting in a coffee shop trying to nail down a topic. Should I focus on Lent? Spring? A season of renewal?  Or maybe plants and how they relate to flourishing? All great ideas.

However, I almost missed what was right in front of me.

The coffee shop I chose to work at is one of my favorites in downtown Pasco. Since I was already in the area for the InGear Bike Donation and Repair event with Union Gospel Mission, I stopped by to get some work done.

My seat faces the window, giving me a clear view of the intersection right in front of me. It’s a rather gloomy, cold day — one of those ordinary moments in the middle of the week. As I stare out the window and collect my thoughts, I notice a man walking toward the door.

Before I get back to that moment, I want to share a verse that’s been on my mind lately. In Mark 12:31, Jesus says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors. Like most of us know, that doesn’t just mean the people who live in the house next to us or the people who sit in the pew beside us on Sunday. It includes anyone we encounter in our daily lives.

When we think about loving others, we often focus on the big events in people’s lives—marriages, babies, or on the other side, death. The good and the hard create peaks and valleys in our timelines. But what about loving your neighbor in the mundane? How does that transpire in a life lived for Christ?

Back to the man outside the coffee shop.

At first, he seemed fine. But as I continued watching, I noticed a slight limp… a stagger… movements that didn’t seem steady. He stayed outside near the door, and it became clear he was in pain.

I kept watching, worried about him.

Here is my dilemma: the longer I watched, the more I felt prompted to help. But I also wondered, was it safe for me to insert myself into the situation? How much help could I realistically offer?

He stood there for a while, and each passing second it broke my heart to see someone in that kind of discomfort. At the same time, fear started to bubble up. Should I go outside and help this man, or would that be dangerous? Rather than just sitting there stuck between yes and no, I began to pray.

I prayed for him—that he would find relief from whatever pain he was experiencing. I prayed that he would find help and comfort. I prayed that God would care for him in ways I could not.

Sometimes the best way to love someone is simply to pray for them.

For me, moments like this hold real tension. I want to go out and do something tangible. But I also have to consider safety when approaching someone who may be struggling or in distress. During times like these, I ask God for guidance—for discernment about what my next step should be.

As I reflect on the moment, I believe the Lord prompted me to pray and to reach out to others to pray for him as well. Prayer has been at the forefront of my mind lately because it’s something I’ve been trying to focus on during this Lenten season as a way to grow in my relationship with the Lord.

If I’m honest, prayer might not have been my first response at another time. The Lord has been gently moving me toward more intercessory prayer—not just bringing my own requests to Him but praying for others. It’s surprisingly easy to overlook those opportunities when we’re focused on our own lives.

Eventually the man moved on and disappeared down the street, leaving me with a strange mix of relief and regret. Relief that he kept moving, and regret that I hadn’t physically helped him. Did my prayer matter? Was God prompting me to do something more? Those are bigger questions that I’m still reflecting on.

But this moment reminded me of something important: loving our neighbors isn’t only about showing up for the big moments in their lives. It’s also about noticing people in the ordinary spaces of everyday life—the mundane moments when someone else’s story briefly crosses ours.

My hope is that as you go about your own everyday routines, you remember that loving your neighbor like Jesus can take many forms. Sometimes it’s just showing up in a big way. And sometimes it begins with something as simple—and as powerful—as a prayer for a stranger.

Sometimes the moments we’re looking for are already right in front of us.

Darbee Rhamy

Coordinator of Storytelling and Value Embodiment