Weak and Poor

"Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble."  -Psalm 41:1

Gabriel, my Westie, alerted me to this nest of bunnies in my flower bed.  Thankfully, he was more curious as a cat than hunting as a terrier.  Nevertheless, I kept him out of the front yard until they left the nest or the mother rabbit moved them.   Most people have "regard for the weak" or those who are defenseless.  But today's verse can also be translated as "who considers the poor."  This is when we start to lose people.  Poor people in America are often considered to be lazy or responsible for their financial condition.  We too often sit in judgment of those who need help, forgetting that those of us who have, often have because we either were born with much to begin with--educated parents, golden opportunities, and in-born common sense and drive.  Those who rise above their poor backgrounds often do so because they have what it takes to persevere.  But not all people have this.  And the thing is we can't know all the "whys" for a person's poverty.

The issue is not why the poor are poor, but rather why don't we care about them.  We need to help those in need now while at the same time helping to eliminate the causes of their poverty.  Things like prejudice, injustice, and greed in ourselves is a good place to start.

I am grateful that God cares for the poor and weak because I was once "poor and weak" until I accepted Christ into my life.