September 9 I Thursday

Proverbs 6-7

2 Corinthians 2

“You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”  —Psalm 10:17-18

The opening verse of this devotion is David reminding us of God’s self-disclosure to Moses at the burning bush, where the Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering” (Exodus 3:7). God hears the cry of those suffering and He will act. As an assurance of what He will do, God tells Moses His personal name, “I AM that I AM” or “Yahweh,” which represents God’s covenant faithfulness. As David calls on “Yahweh” or the “LORD,” it allows him to lay the whole situation before God and call upon His faithfulness.

      All over the world, we see brokenness, suffering and pain with people exploiting people for greed. As we cry out for God to execute His justice, to bring about healing and restoration, He often includes us in His response, moving His people to meet the needs of the afflicted. Over the last number of years, as I have travelled and met with some of our global ministry partners from The Peoples Church (Toronto, Canada), I am amazed at how God continues to do this time and time again.

      For example, some of our partners in Uganda struggled with the atrocity of war. The Lord brought them through that season, and healed their trauma, pain and suffering. Afterwards, He called and raised them to start a ministry, I Live Again Uganda, to help those who have suffered through war. These brothers and sisters have experienced the restoration of God, and the reconciliation with their enemies that the gospel brings about. Now, God uses them to bring His healing to the poor and the oppressed in the villages around them, and care for them. God raised our other partners in Mexico, who saw orphans in distress and the fatherless on the streets, to establish an orphanage, a church and a ranch to serve these children. We also have some partners in Colombia bringing healing to the people in Venezuela who are suffering under the regime.

      When we cry out for Yahweh to move, He sees fit to invite us into what He is doing in the world, like God calling Moses to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of slavery. What we see throughout the world is that God involves us in addressing the injustices that we see, but it begins on our knees in prayer. As we cry out to Him, He begins to prompt us and direct us on how we can be a part of the solution. What may God be inviting us to do?

Prayer: Sovereign God, thank You for inviting me to be part of the solution in the injustices that I see around the world. Give me a heart to boldly serve those around me. In Jesus’s name, amen!