Rhapsody of Realities 14 August 2024: Poverty Isn’t God’s Design
Scripture: O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily (Psalm 74:21-22).
Psalm 74 contains a beautiful, emotive prayer from the psalmist Asaph. He prayed, “Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth
are full of the habitations of cruelty. O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name” (Psalm 74:20-21).
Asaph’s prayer reflected a shared concern for the oppressed. The oppressed could only hope in God for deliverance from those more powerful than themselves. Thus, Asaph’s plea for their protection from shame underscored their reliance on God’s intervention.
Some time ago, we heard of wildfires that ravaged homes and endangered many families, giving them very little chance of escape. The victims, facing powerful perpetrators who sought to silence them, epitomised the poor and needy for whom we should pray. Through our fervent prayer and actions, we can repel the evil and bring hope to the oppressed. Financial aid alone is insufficient; education and training are essential.
Read Yesterday’s Rhapsody of Realities Here
Most importantly, we must intercede for the poor, invoking God’s favour and grace to open their eyes to opportunities and empower them to rise above poverty. Psalm 33:5 says, “He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” Poverty is not God’s design.
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Wherever the Gospel has free course and is preached, the people are transformed and the poor cease to be poor. So, be committed to taking the Gospel everywhere, and more and more lives will be changed. Amen.
PRAYER: I’m empowered as an agent of change in this world and an instrument of God’s love and compassion to bring hope and relief to those in need. I pray for those who’re oppressed to experience divine protection, provision, and empowerment as they receive the light of the Gospel and walk in God’s will for their lives, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY
Isaiah 58:6-7
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are]cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
3 John 1:2 NKJV
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
1 – YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Romans 15:14-33 & Psalms 99-101
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Philippians 2:19-30 & Isaiah 65
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Rhapsody of Realities 14 August 2024
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