Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, March 12, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
To despise something is to look down on it with disrespect or aversion. I can’t imagine God despising anything, least of all the prayers of those most in need of help. The psalmist confirms this: God cares for those facing the most challenges, dealing with the most suffering.
How well do we do at this? The metro area I live in experiences a great deal of homelessness. There are encampments in various places in the city. There are countless people standing in medians at traffic crossings with signs asking for help. How many of us, despite our desire to be compassionate, inwardly sigh in disgust, wondering why these people would choose to live this way? Wondering why they aren’t accessing the systems supposedly in place to help them? Even if we’re aware of the flaws in those systems (or the total lack of them) some small part of us still believes these folk wouldn’t have to be in this situation if they just tried harder. Some small part of us despises their need.
God models and calls us to greater compassion. We need to give up our judgment and be willing to love people exactly as and how they are in that moment. If we are really concerned about the issue (and not just annoyed by the panhandling) there are ample ways to learn more and get involved in addressing what is certainly a public health crisis in many of our cities. No, we can’t hope to aspire to the ideal, which is God, but we can sure do better in not despising the needs of the destitute.
How do I feel when I see people who are homeless?