Key Verse: Proverbs 21:13 “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.” Most of us don’t realize how much we really have. Even the poorest of Americans are considered rich or at least middle class in other parts of the world. The mission trip we took two years ago to Exuma really opened my eyes to this truth. There were people there living in huts the size of many of our bedrooms, and there would 4-6 people living in it. Some of the homes had no roof, and had terrible water leaks. It was truly heart wrenching to see the living conditions of the some of the people there. The trip Oanh and I took to Vietnam in 2024 also opened my eyes to the poverty in other places of the world. While much of Vietnam was very nice and modern, there wear some areas of extreme poverty. As Christians we should always be looking to help those who are truly in need. Whether they are our neighbor or someone across the world we will never meet. We should be listening for the voice of those in need, and be ready to give. The sad reality is that many of us willfully shut our ears to the cry of those in need. What are the consequences of this? Solomon reminds us that there is one primary consequence of shutting our ears to those in need. If we do this we are told that when we cry out we will not be heard? This reminds of the unpredictability as well as the uncertainty of wealth and riches. They fade away, they can be stolen or squandered, and if we lose our wealth, yet never helped those in need when we had it we will not be heard in our time of financial need. Who will not hear us? First of all others will not our cry. WE will receive little to no help from those in the world. That is because we didn’t help anyone else. Secondly, God won’t hear us. This does not mean that God can’t hear our prayers, rather it means he refuses to answer them or acknowledge them. Church God has a heart for the poor and we should too. Pray that God give you a heart for those in need and ask him to give the opportunity and means to help them!
