—Psalm 37:14-15
We don't often see weapons such as swords, bows, and arrows used to bring down the poor and needy these days—at least not in this country. Yet they are no less vulnerable, especially now that unemployment is so high and disease so rampant.
Therefore, to work for the good of our neighbors is not just optional charity. It is God's work. If I am fortunate enough not to be counted among the poor and needy at this time in history, then Psalm 37 reminds me that I don't want to be counted among their opposite number, either. The Old Testament God was concerned with the plight of the lowly. And the New Testament God appeared on earth as a poor, itinerant teacher. So, whether I am in need or able to help out, let it be from God that I take my cue.
Yet the psalmist promises that the very tools that are used to bring down the poor will be the downfall of their persecutors. What is happening now is not forever. The power of the selfish will indeed be broken.
Help me not simply to observe the problems that surround me, O God, but to act on behalf of those with whom my Savior identified, for I pray in his Name who taught me to pray: Our Father...
