Three Biblical Truths to Rest On
For more than 50 years, FH has followed God’s call to walk with people living in poverty and bring healing through Strengthen Communities. Through partnerships with local leaders, FH has created long-lasting solutions through a full range of economic, social, spiritual, and cultural interests. In celebration, we’ve reflected on a series of Bible verses that were particularly meaningful to our founder, Dr. Larry Ward.
“Yes, I have (hunger) statistics, stacks of them, gathered all around the world through many years and millions of miles. But my statistics have names. And faces.” – Dr. Larry Ward, founder of Food for the Hungry (FH)
These Scriptures contain common themes that illustrate God’s concern for the poor and His call to respond.
God Hears Us
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.” – Psalm 34:6, TLB
When we call out to God, He hears. Dr. Ward cried out to God throughout his ministry, and many of the Scriptures he held dearly referred to calling out to God.
In Psalm 61:2 the psalmist asserts, “Wherever I am, though far away at the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help.” Psalm 40:1 includes God’s response: “He listened and heard my cry.”
Have you considered the great privilege of being able to cry out to God, knowing that He hears and responds? FH works with some of the world’s most vulnerable people in seemingly destitute places. Our staff, volunteers, and supporters have seen the desperation of people living in poverty. Over and over, we have also seen God respond to the prayers of His people, and raise up communities so they can be resilient and flourish.
Would you take time today to pray for the world’s poor? Pray for your sponsored child and for the people whose faces you see here on the FH blog. The Lord is ready and waiting to hear your prayer.
God Brings Justice
“(God) gives justice to the poor and oppressed and food to the hungry.” – Psalm 146:7
Do you believe that God is bringing justice? Poverty, injustice, and marginalization seem to run rampant, causing the cycle to persist. But Scripture insists that God is working toward justice.
Sometimes God shows His justice by responding to people according to their own behavior. On the positive side, God’s goodness is said to be great “to those who publicly declare that (He) will rescue them.” (Psalm 31:19)
On the negative side, “he shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.” (Proverbs 21:13) We may experience God’s silence when we are unresponsive to the needs of the poor.
Job understood that God’s eyes were set on the vulnerable and that hurting the poor was an act worthy of punishment. Job said he would rather “let my arm be torn from its socket!” rather than face God’s judgment if he ever brought harm to the poor. (Job 31:23)
You are Part of God’s Plan
“You must love and help your neighbors just as much as you love and take care of yourself.” (James 2:8)
Ultimately, Scripture points to God’s people living out His plan to bring hope and justice to the poor. When you join us in serving vulnerable people, you are helping build solutions to help communities thrive. God tells us that “all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (Romans 8:28)
Micah 6:8 has been a favorite verse for many FH staff in the past five decades. In this verse, the prophet simply and powerfully states what God wants from His people. “He has told you what he wants, and this is all it is: to be fair, just, merciful, and to walk humbly with your God.”
Another version says, “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV) Though it may seem that poverty is an obstacle too great to overcome, God calls us simply to walk with Him in a way that is humble as we seek to do justice and show mercy. Isn’t it reassuring to know that our small acts of faithfulness can make a difference to achieve God’s ends?
Together, We Strengthen Communities
With your help, we are addressing the root causes of extreme poverty. It’s not just alleviating the symptoms, but ending the cycle of poverty through Strengthen Communities to bring healing to what was broken. Poverty is much more than a lack of material things, we believe it results from broken relationships between God, self, others, and nature. That is why we turn to Scripture for guidance because, with God’s intervention and the support of our FH family, we are answering God’s call and the people we serve can flourish and reach their God-given potential.
