January 24, 2021
My Dear Brother and Sister, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you today is from the book of Psalm 9:18 says,” For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. ” From this context we learn that the Lord considers the poor and the needy. In this Psalm David speaks about the poor state of the down trodden. He reminds us that we should have regard for the poor and never despise them. David considered himself as poor and despised. That’s why he says, “ I am Poor and Needy yet the Lord thinks upon me.” David acknowledged the judgements of God regarding the wicked who threatened his people. And he praised God for the past acts of deliverance when evil men plotted his own downfall and destruction.
My Dear Brother and Sister, David always had a soft corner for the poor. Even Solomon in His Proverbs. says, “Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; For the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them.”Many times people take advantage of the poor simply because they can. The poor have less access to resources, knowledge, and information about how things are supposed to work. Consequently, that information deficiency create opportunities for those in the higher level to exploit the poor for money or whatever else they need. Needless to say, God does not look kindly on those who do this.
My Dear Brother and Sister, The Psalmist comforts those who maintain their trust in God’s word and honour His holy name. He says, “the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever”. Our heavenly Father will never forget those that remember Him. He will never abandon those that trust His word and honour His name. The Bible says, whoever considers the poor honours God. We need to make provision for the poor and needy. God Himself admonished the people of Israel to consider the poor, by saying, “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
My Dear Brother and Sister, God says, “ There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”Apostle Paul reminds us, by saying “God loves a cheerful giver” God didn’t want the Israelites to simply give generously to the poor; He wanted them to do so with grateful hearts. This command came with a promise. If they were unselfish and kind, God would bless them. David also emphasises the same thought, “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord, delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord, will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. God always loves a cheerful giver who helps the poor with whatever they have. He encourages us to give generously. For helping the poor would appear to bring a blessing to those who do it.
My Dear Brother and Sister, Many of you who are reading this message may be going through various troubles. Some of you are caught up with debts. Some may suffer from certain disease. Some are constantly in pain, owing to their children’s bad conduct. And because of this, you have suffered shame and humiliation among your people. We live in a world where we will always suffer trials and tribulation, but the Psalmist offers hope for all who trust in the Lord. Even though there may be times when we feel forgotten or afflicted. We are God’s children and have His assurance that we are secure in His hand. If in these circumstances , you have been kind and generous towards the poor then God will remember your good deeds and thus rescue you from your debts and will also bring healing to our body and will also help your children who were once bad, to become good citizens. So that we may grow in grace and become mature and complete in Christ – lacking nothing.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Dear Lord thank You that Your eyes are not closed to the difficulties and problems we are facing. Thank You that the needy will not always be forgotten, but that You have prepared something better for those that love and trust You. Thank You, for all Your goodness and grace towards us. and for protecting and delivering us, from those who sought our harm. May we never forget the grace that has been extended to us and remember that nothing can separate us from Your love.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
