God’s Plan for the Poor

“I need emergency help. I need emergency help. I need emergency help.” A small woman stood in the center of my living room repeating this phrase over and over. I was 22, and my new husband had taken a pastoral position at an inner-city church plant in New York’s Southern Tier. The door to our apartment stood open, as friends toted boxes and furniture through swirling January snow, and it was into this bustling scene that this woman saw her opening.

I was busy managing all the movement and didn’t spot her until she stood directly beside me. She was filthy from head to toe, her clothes were torn, she was missing most of her teeth, and her dark skin had been weathered by the abuse of the elements. Her tear-filled eyes met mine, and she cried, “I’m hungry.”

I stuffed a plate as quickly as I could and turned to her. There was nowhere to sit anyway, but I didn’t have time to ask. As soon as I handed her the plate, she was gone.

I felt so inadequate. The needs in this new place were so evident. I’ll never forget my dad reaching his arm around my shoulder, the way he has done so many times, and whispering, “Kate, that’s why you’re here.”

He was right. We were here because the physical and spiritual needs of this community were so very real. They needed food, shelter, clothing, and community. They needed support and welcome. They needed the gospel to undergird everything. We moved here to welcome strangers into our home and to share with them the best we could.

Our ministry was going to be one of welcoming people, showing hospitality in our broken way, and extending the grace we had been given as often as we could. Through it, we learned that we actually needed these people too, and they had lessons to teach us. The residents of this neighborhood, like this dear woman, were bold because the needs were great. They didn’t come with pretense or niceties. They laid their pain out in the midst of small talk and watched to see what you did with it. They weren’t impressed by credentials or sacrifice. They didn’t plan vacations and career paths. They lived only in the moment they were in because looking back was too painful and looking forward was too intimidating.

Over time, my relationships and daily interactions with the people in this community challenged the assumptions I held and taught me four important lessons about the Lord’s plans for the destitute.

1. The Lord Cares for the Poor

Throughout Scripture, God’s heart for the poor is clear. Our Lord loves the needy. He never forgets the destitute (Ps. 146:5–9). He does not overlook those the world avoids eye contact with. He is not afraid of their pleas. He does not long to be rid of them. Instead, he provides. When Israel was poor and enslaved, he literally moved creation to rescue them (Ex. 14). When they set up their new life in the promised land, he gave them command after command about how to care for the needy (Lev. 19:10). He even made a way for poor worshipers to bring a smaller offering so that nothing could hinder their worship (Lev. 5:7). Our God loves the poor and plans redemptive history to not only reach them but to include them as equal heirs of the grace of Christ.

2. The Lord Calls the Poor

When the Lord of glory stepped into his creation, he didn’t come as a rich man. He grew up as a carpenter’s son. As an adult, Scripture tells us that he had nowhere to lay his head (Matt. 8:20). He who was rich became poor for us that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). If poverty is not too low for our Lord, how can it be too low for his people?

Truly, the Lord delights to call the poor to himself. The Lord is so good and kind that he is able to call both the rich (Mark 10:25–27) and the poor (1 Cor. 1:26–29, James 2:5). But we are all spiritually destitute. We are all beggars looking for the Bread of Life. Jesus offers himself to us fully. He meets our needs, and out of the abundance of what he has given us in Christ, we go into the world not with financial riches necessarily but with lives given to the service of the Lord. We offer our meager lunch, and the Lord amazes by feeding multitudes. He gets the glory in it all, as he should.

3. The Lord Meets the Needs

The cries of the needy make our God rise up in action (Ps. 72:12–14). He is at work on their behalf. He will meet their needs. His hand is not shortened, and his heart is full of compassion. We see this throughout the Old Testament as God draws near to the needy and commands his people to do the same (Lev. 19:10). In the New Testament, Christ cares for the needs of the poor and oppressed. Our Lord even says it is a sign of the Kingdom that the “poor have good news preached to them” (Matt. 11:5). It was so much a habit of the Lord and the disciples to care for the poor that even on the night when Christ was betrayed, after he told the disciples who would betray him, they still thought Judas was going out to give to the poor (John 13:29). As the New Testament continues, we see this trend remain—the church is known for its generosity toward those in need (2 Cor. 8–9, 1 Tim. 6:17–19). The God of Scripture will meet the needs of the poor and oppressed. He will bring justice (Ps. 146:5–9). It is a delight that we can be a part of that.

4. The Church Must Enter In

From the opening books of Scripture, we see God’s heart for the poor and needy. He is not put off by their troubles. He does not stand at a distance. As his people, we are supposed to act like him.

The Old and New Testaments reiterate this truth over and over. We are commanded to “open wide” our hands to the poor and needy (Deut. 15:11). Paul is encouraged to “remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10). We are told that one of the reasons we should work is to “have something to share with those in need” (Eph. 4:28). Caring for the poor is not an option in the Christian life. God has called his people to enter into suffering with the hope of the gospel, boldly proclaiming Christ in spaces that don’t feel comfortable or friendly. I promise, you will be amazed at what the Lord can do in these places that often feel hopeless from our vantage point.

The mission of the church is to “make disciples...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20). He has commanded that we care for the poor. This is the essence of true religion in James 1.

How Do We Do This Practically?

We know God has commanded that we care for the poor, but it can be difficult to discern how we should flesh this out in our daily lives because no two situations are alike. How we do this will look different for different believers in different seasons of life.

We are not all called to move to new neighborhoods or change careers to work in full-time ministry to the poor (though some of us may be and we should pray with openness). “Entering in” may look like hosting a community meal or food distribution at your church to build relationships through meeting physical needs. It could mean keeping $5 gift cards in your car to food chains along with invitations to church, so you have something to give to the person who stops you outside the grocery store. It may mean volunteering at a gospel-centered ministry in your community or starting one if it’s not already available. It may mean building relationships with at-risk families through crisis pregnancy centers or foster care.

The list could go on and on. The Holy Spirit indwells believers and helps us to be devoted to good works. As we pray with our specific location and limitations in mind, he is fully able to open our eyes to the needs around us and make it clear how he desires us to enter in. We can trust him to reveal the good works that he has prepared beforehand for us to walk in (Eph. 2:10).

Riches In Another Kingdom

Our Lord became poor that we might become rich. This is not the whispered lie of a prosperity gospel that commends earthly riches. This is the full-throated shout of victory that proclaims riches in heavenly righteousness for those who forsake the allure of this world and claim the King of Heaven as their father. May we all be counted in that number, and may our lives reflect that reality in generous and joyful hearts (2 Cor. 9).