Meet the need

Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. (Psalm 82:3-4 NLT)

Edwin Markham said, "There is a destiny which makes us brothers; none goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own." We can look on as others suffer, or we can step in, help out, find a way. The more we sit back and just watch, the more the suffering is allowed to continue. Rescue the poor and helpless has actions defined as "delivering them from the grasp of evil people". We might not understand their plight fully, but it doesn't give us any less of a commission to be of aid wherever and whenever we are able. We aren't living life on this earth in solitude, my friends. All of us breathe the same air!

None of us is without need at some point in our lives. Any form of social injustice is certainly on a different level from being out of work or not having a running vehicle at the moment, isn't it? A quick search of the internet will define social injustice as any unfair treatment of individuals or groups of individuals that results in systemic discrimination or oppression. It may have gone unnoticed by some, but oppressive forces have always been at work in our world. We need to be keenly aware of how we can and should help those who are in need around us. The church is called into action, not just to pray for those in need, but to step in and be of assistance. All humans are created in God's image and as such, they have significant worth or value. No one human is above another - no one human should ever seek to bring harm to another.

The poor, orphan, oppressed and destitute are among us all the time. Are we sensitive to their presence, open to meeting their needs, and available to lend a helping hand? "Poor" doesn't just mean without food or financial means. We have the ability to help those financially strapped - do it. We have the ability to help those under spiritual oppression - do it. The destitute among us are often aware of their need, but are we? As we open our eyes to the injustice around us, the need of those who 'have less and need more', and those who are spiritually poor, we can certainly pray for their need, but if we have the means we are called to do more than just pray!