A Prayer About Needy People

A prayer about Needy People - Assisting the poor

HEAVENLY FATHER,

This morning as I read this passage from Leviticus, I am reminded of your heart for needy individuals and families. Throughout your Word you continually exhort your people to help those who have meager resources: widows, orphans, foreigners, prisoners, and outcasts. Your desires are clear, and I want to respond. But doing that is a stretch for me, taking me way out of my comfort zone. I would much rather stay safe and content in my cozy home, with those who are similar to me. I hear about the poor in newscasts and missionary reports, but they seem far away and not in my daily experience. So I often send funds to support those who are doing that good work—but that’s about it. Open my eyes, Father, to the needy people all around me: in my neighborhood, larger community, and even in my church. Show me what I can do to make a difference in their lives—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And help me overcome inertia to follow your steps in their direction.

Do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:10