A Hopeless Man

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Hi Everyone :aww:

I would like to tell you about a person I met at an outreach.  His name was Kotse.  I met him while I was standing in an open field, surrounded by the homeless, those swallowed by their pain, and those who had given up hope.  We had gone on a compassion outreach you see, and I was listening to my sister’s message.  All eyes were on her as the outreach team, and the homeless, listened to her tell them how much Jesus loved them, how He died for them, and how desperately He wanted them to accept Him.

You see, we had heard about this place two weeks ago.  One of my friends, Charl, had ministered to a man in a parking lot.  I don’t know what God had lead Charl to tell the man, but the man was touched by Charl’s words – and very excited.  He told Charl that there were people sleeping in the open field two blocks away from where they were.  They lived there in that field, and that we should all go to them as well and tell them about God.  “They won’t listen to me if I told them what you told me,” he told Charl, “they know I drink a lot.  They won’t take me seriously.”  So our group decided to visit this field he told us about. 

We went early on a Sunday morning, and found about 10 men, and 3 women, sitting on the grass, crates and old paint cans.  They were sitting between the remains of previous fires they had made to keep warm, and old beer bottles.  Some of them just listened, without looking up at us.  Others responded to my sister, but some of them were already drunk so communication got a bit difficult here and there.  The one thing that really stood out to me from among these people was that their hope was lost, and their hearts had suffered incredible pain.

It was here, in this field, that I met Kotse.  I was standing next to one of my friends when he approached her.  Kotse was a young man – only 29 years old.  He had a kind air about him, and it looked like he had had a much better life before he had made this field his true company.  My friend’s name is Fabienne .  He came up to her and asked a simple questions, “Hi, do you mind if I ask you a question?  Do you believe there’s a heaven and a hell?”  I moved closer to Fabienne, as we were instructed to always move in pairs when we ministered to people.  I thought his first question was odd at first, but by the end of the conversation I had come to the sad realization why he had asked it.  You see, Kotse’s conversation with Fabienne and me was about how the world was filled with terrible pain and suffering.  “Did you hear about the earthquake in Nepal?”, he asked me.  “Why would God send something like that to the people of Nepal?”  My heart filled with compassion for him.  When he asked the question, I could see the pain in his eyes.  Kotse ‘s heart really was breaking for the people of Nepal; as was mine.  I explained to him how God would never send that – God would never send an earthquake to hurt people – it wasn’t His doing.  I gave different reasons (which I won’t go into now).  But Kotse’s heart wasn’t satisfied.  He went on and explained how people had mistreated him.  He explained how they forgot about him when they managed to make a living for themselves and acquired money.  He agonized over how people had hurt him, and how he had been struggling to let go of that pain, but failing.  The world was filled with so much pain in Kotse’s eyes, that he couldn’t see anything else in front of him.  We spoke for what seemed like hours, while I explained to Him how God could heal the pain he has felt, and how He could give him a love for the people who had hurt him.  I told Him that God was more than willing, and able, to bless him and take him out of this field (the one we were standing in).  I told him that he will be a blessing to others, like him, who had lost everything and were sleeping in fields.  You see, Kotse had a lot of love for people – I could clearly see that.  The one thing that was beating him down was that the world seemed hopeless to him, and he felt that God (and his hope) were far away.  Hope wasn’t a reality to him, nor was God .  “If God existed, why is there so much pain in the world?” was Kotse’s response to us.  And lastly, Kotse admitted that he had been thinking about killing himself, about just ending it all.  That is why he had asked us if we believed if there was a heaven or hell.  He was weighing his options, checking to see what might be waiting on him when he died, when he ended it.    You see, Kotse had lost all hope.  Everything.

And this is where God stepped in.  You would think that a miracle would happen to change Kotse’s mind, but God spoke to Fabienne and myself while we were with him.  I started testifying to him about what God had done for others.  I shared with him how He had saved a woman from being raped (I shared this story here :pointr: Prayer and presence of God stop PE rape attack), and that God will help you if you trust in Him.  We shared God’s plan for Kotse’s life with him, how God’s plan for his life was for hope and a future.  We shared with him how he will succeed with God at his side.  The most wonderful thing was that I felt an amazing, supernatural love for Kotse – God’s love.  As I was speaking to him about how God was going to bless him, I almost cried as God’s love for him overwhelmed me.  Kotse saw this, and his heart was moved as well.  We ventured on, and told him how God was a God of love.  He wasn’t an angry and distant God.  He had compassion on us, and His heart burned for us – He wanted to give us a beautiful life – we just had to go to Him.  Fabienne then asked him if he had prayed for God to send someone to him.  To send someone to him to explain how God wasn’t responsible for the pain in the world.  And to explain to him what God had planned for him.  You see, Fabienne had heard something from God in her heart – something that God had heard from Koste’s prayers.  Kotse answered and said yes: he had prayed, and now we were here, giving him his answers.  The meeting ended with hugs and smiles.  Kotse’s demeanour had changed.  He was no longer weighed down by hopelessness.  He was vibrant, smiling, filled with something real – hope.  God had answered his heart’s questions, and told Him that He had not forgotten Him.  He had told him that the fight wasn’t over, that God will use him and give him a beautiful future.  Kotse was a new man.

As we left there that day, I realized how important hope was.  When people lose hope, they lose everything, even as much as to not want to live this life anymore.  I encourage everyone to give a little bit of God’s hope to someone today.  If you don’t know what to say, just trust God and start the conversation (I know we did) – God will lead you as you go along.  I prayed that I will see Kotse again one day.  Not in that field, in poverty, surrounded by old crates and bear bottles.  No, I want to see Kotse again exactly like God showed me he was going to be.  Successful, filled with God’s love and helping others who were just like him.  I definitely believe I will …

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosperyou and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11  </span>



Here is a teaching about the importance of hope.  If you like, you can read it.  I’m sure it will help you in your endeavour of spreading God’s HOPE.

Prisoners of Hope by Joyce Meyer

If you guys have any stories like these, any testimonies, please share them with me.  I always love hearing how wonderful our God is.
© 2015 - 2024 saykha
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LazaroRuiz's avatar
Thanks for sharing this!