A Voice For The Voiceless - How to Live as a Disciple of Christ

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9, NIV)

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27, NIV)

I once saw the picture of a woman in the newspaper. She was a victim of the severe Ethiopia famine. She stood in a dry and desolate place holding a malnourished child who was so wasted away that one could count the ribs. This woman wore rags and was a picture of the destitute. As my heart broke, I asked the Lord to send me to fulfill His mission to the least of these. I lived in Ethiopia initially for seven years serving the likes of this woman.

Jesus came to earth to fulfill a similar mission. Isaiah spoke about that mission long before the Messiah was born. His mission was spelled out in detail, clearly, in Isaiah 61. As Jesus leaves the earth, he commissions His disciples to go to all nations and make disciples and to continue this mission until he returns.

This is the good news to the poor, binding their broken hearts, proclaiming their freedom from captivity, opening the prison doors and announcing the favor of the Lord on their days.

As we serve the poor, we continue the mission of Jesus. As we stand with them and serve them, we are the Lord’s priests.

The Lord loves justice, hates robbery and wrongdoing, and will faithfully give the poor their reward. His covenant also promises that this reward will extend to their descendants. They will be acknowledged as an offspring that the Lord has blessed.

Reflection: When was the last time you came across someone who was destitute – either in person or in the news? How might God be calling you to serve them in order to continue the mission of Jesus?