For years, and regrettably far too many of them, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of human need. “It is unfixable,” I pondered, “There will always be poverty, exploitation, oppression, and abuse. No matter how I help today, there will certainly be as much need tomorrow, and likely more.” I was dispirited to the point of paralysis, donating here and there, yes, but always with a sense of resignation to a problem unsolved and the futility of my pittance. Didn’t Jesus say, “The poor you will always have with you”?1 “What’s the use?” I thought. “I can give them everything I have and change nothing but to join their ranks.”
Over time, it occurred to me the poor and oppressed might see things differently. Take the church in Macedonia, for instance. Despite their own “severe affliction” and “extreme poverty,” they “overflowed in a wealth of generosity”2 toward others in need. Paul marvels at the heartfelt zeal of this humble people, “For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints . . .”3 To these eager believers, poverty was not a point to ponder but a reality to relieve. Now. No need to overthink it.
We all live in our little corner of the world, and it is here that Jesus, through His Spirit, stirs us, calls us, and leads us into action. Were we to let the enormity of global need paralyze us into inaction, need itself might be unmet in our so-called “sphere of influence.” So this is the lesson I’ve learned: Don’t worry about the big picture — God’s got that — but just act wherever and however He calls me today. That’s all He asks.
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” — Isaiah 58:6-8 NIV
Father, You are good and Your ways are right. Keep me mindful of the need around me today — be it physical or spiritual — and show me what You want me to do. Move in and through me by Your Spirit. In Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Mark 14:7 NIV
2 2 Corinthians 8:2 ESV
3 2 Corinthians 8:3-4 ESV
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Paul Nordman—Author 