Caring for the Poor in Jesus’ Name

Posted byJim SimoneauPosted inUncategorized

Day 122:  Psalms 41:1-3

            Psalm 41:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he who considers the poor; The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, And he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. 3The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed.

            Lord Jesus, You had compassion on the poor and needy when You walked upon the earth. From the Old Testament through to the New Testament (Matthew 4:23-25; 35-38), You taught us to care for the poor (See Proverbs 22:9). Indeed, there have been times when we felt the poverty of our own souls. We have cried out to You that we are poor and needy (Psalm 40:17). You have commanded a blessing to us when we recognize the deep need and poverty of our lives (Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20).  You even remind us here that there is a blessing when we help those who are poor in any way. You taught us to help when we could and not to withhold help from them when it was in our power to help them (Proverbs 3:27). 

            Lord, there are so many people who are needy. We cannot do all that has to be done to help the vast numbers of people in need, but we can do some. We can come together to help those who have special needs. Help us, O Lord, to follow Your example when You walked among us. You took the time to care for those in need.

            O God, You have promised not to forget those who remember the poor and needy among us (Hebrews 6:10). You have said that those who give a cup of cold water in Your name shall not lose their reward (Matthew 10:42). You have told us that true religion, real faith, is shown by caring for widows and orphans in their distress and remaining unstained by the sins of this world (James 1:27).

            See us, O Lord. Help us, O Lord. Give us Your strength to let us do Your work. Give us the spiritual strength, the emotional strength, the physical strength, the people resources, the financial resources, the strategic wisdom, the power, and direction and blessing of Your Holy Spirit to make these things happen and to grow Your church by grace, by the gospel, by the Holy Spirit, by prayer and the ministry of the Word, by evangelism, missions, mercy, media ministries, and love.

In Jesus’ name alone, Amen!

Published by Jim Simoneau

Jesus Christ brought me to Himself at a very early age. I began seeking the Lord and writing prayer journals in my early teens and have continued to grow in my knowledge and experience of prayer. I am still learning and growing in my prayer life and long to help others grow in their prayer lives as well. I am not an expert, but a practitioner who needs God to continue to teach me to pray. Prayer is both simple, yet also profound. It is deep and draws us into the depth of God, but it is also so easy and wondrous that we can cry out to God with "Abba, Father" prayers because of the work of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. Prayer comes from God's heart, works in our hearts, and teaches us to go back to seek God's heart!

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