"All the Poor and Powerless"

"Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel Tyrants...he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck. He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. He frees them from tyranny and torture--when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies." Psalm 72-Various Verses-The Message

God has always been caring for the poor and oppressed. This care is a common thread throughout the Bible--from Exodus and Leviticus to the Psalms and the Gospels. In the Old Testament, God instructed his people not to pick up crops that fell to the ground, so that the destitute among them would be able to come and gather the abandoned fruit. Psalm 9:9 states that "The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." And Psalm 35:10 asks the questions "Who else rescues the weak and helpless from the strong? Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them."

All of these verses--and the countless others--show the Heart that the Lord has for the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the oppressed, and the "just plain down-and-out." 

Before Christ's redemptive work begins in our lives, we are these people. We might not all be physically poor, but in a sense, we are all poverty-stricken. Because of the Fall, our relationship with Christ has been distorted and we are poor in spirit. Where Adam and Eve once literally walked in fellowship with the Lord, we are now--by our own feeble attempts-- trying to reach God. Thankfully, God has always had a heart for the poor and he sent his Son to save us. He came, and in doing so, has piled blessings on us. 

As a Believer that is being sanctified to become more and more like Christ daily, one specific area I want to look more like Christ is in my care for the oppressed and the poor. Because...

"He loves us without condition, unrelentingly  forever. He loves us broken, and he loves making us whole again. And he asks those of us who love him to love others the same way. To choose them. To be agents of his hope, his forgiveness, his grace. He asks us to join him in rescuing others." Christine Caine-Undaunted  

All Sons and Daughters--All the Poor and Powerless