Who
will be Cyrus, the liberator of God’s people? Who will be Christ, saving God’s
people by joining them in their suffering? Who will bring light into this world
of darkness? Who, if not the follower of Christ, will “turn hatred to love,
conflict to peace, death to eternal life”
We live in a world that is in need of salvation.
God sends messengers to us such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and we scoff
at these prophets.
There remains, however, the challenge of Christ,
who “brought us to life when we were dead in sin, and who came not to condemn
the world but that the world might be saved.”
The poor are an exiled and oppressed people whom
God will rescue (Isaiah 51:21-23) as
well as a faithful remnant who take refuge in God (Zephaniah 3:12-13). Throughout the Bible, material poverty is a
misfortune and a cause of sadness. A constant biblical refrain is that the poor
must be cared for and protected and that when they are exploited, God hears
their cries (Proverbs 22:22-23).
God watches over us as we pray: The salvation of
the righteous is from the Lord; he is their
refuge in the time of trouble. (Psalm 37:39
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who serve
as caregivers for family members, neighbors and the community. May the sacrifices
of their time and talent bring hope to those in need of God’s salvation.
