Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
—Proverbs 31:9
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
“No room in the inn!”
“Placed him in a manger!”
“Take the Child and flee to Egypt!”
Those were the kinds of words to describe the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, and our Savior, whose earthly parents were powerless and poor by the world’s standards. Our LORD was born into a world that played favorites and often despised the poor and powerless.
So often today, we also play favorites with the rich, beautiful, powerful, famous, and prestigious. Isn’t it interesting that God revealed himself as the defender of the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner (Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:10) and then entered the world as the child of a Jewish carpenter and a young virgin from a small town. God wants us to notice those in need around us. He wants it to be more than an annual good gesture at Christmas. He wants us to be advocates for folks like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We’re not just told to be fair; we’re told to defend and to plead the rights of those in need. When we do, we do it for him and to him. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
My Prayer…
Please soften my heart as you make me more aware, Holy Father, of those around me who need your love and grace. Please use me as your person of grace to defend the powerless and serve those in need. Open my eyes to see Jesus in the faces of those in need and bless them as I would my LORD. In the name of my Jesus, my Savior, and Savior of all peoples, I pray. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
