Hearing Aid

Read Proverbs 21

Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.

Proverbs 21:13

Anyone who lives in a big city hears cries from the poor every day. Even in the suburbs, homeless people are out on the streets. This is aside from the working poor, who may not be living on the street, but barely make it from day to day. The situation in developing countries is even worse—the quality of life is often terrible, running water may not be available, children are homeless, and wars destroy entire towns. Sometimes we are tempted to deal with all this suffering and heartache by steeling our hearts against it, blocking it out. There is, after all, only so much we can do.

But nowhere in the Bible does God call on one individual to fix all the problems of the world. That is his job, not ours. Jesus told us, “Those who are last now will be first then” (Matthew 20:16). In the meantime, we are called to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What can a dollar do for a homeless person? Maybe not much at all, but that’s not for us to decide ahead of time. If you feel a tug on your heart, don’t let Satan rationalize it away, but respond freely and openly. Let God worry about what happens to it.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Those who don’t listen won’t be heard.

Today, Lord, give me a heart for the poor. It is hard to see so much suffering and not shut it out. It’s a greater burden than I can bear. But you can bear it, Lord. And so, while I know I can’t help everyone, I pray that you would give me an opportunity today to help one person.