logo

Straight Talk

Who are the poor?
By Amy L. Sherman

Blessed is he who has regard for the poor. Psalm 41:1

God's concern for the poor is no footnote in Scripture; no mere afterthought. It is a central, pervasive theme. Over 400 verses-sprinkled throughout every genre of Scripture, from the Law to the wisdom literature, and the prophets to the Gospels and the epistles-speak about God's passion for the needy and his desire that his followers share that passion. One researcher decided to physically cut out, with scissors, every reference in Scripture to God's heart for the poor. He ended up with a very "hole-y" Bible indeed; it was literally shot through with holes! Whenever we are passionate about something, we talk about it often. God, through his word, speaks frequently about the poor and needy. Undoubtedly, he has "regard for the poor"-and wants us to as well.

Who are "the poor" that we are to regard? Several different words in Hebrew and Greek are used to describe the poor. Dal, used nearly fifty times in the Old Testament, refers to those who compose the lower class. It describes those who lack the material wealth of the upper classes. Ani refers to the "oppressed poor." It emphasizes the pain that the socially powerless person experiences when the rich and strong take advantage of him. Ebyon indicates a person in dire want, who is dependent on others. Many times this word is used to describe a righteous person who has suffered loss because of wicked enemies. Ebyon is used often in the Psalms, where such a person cries out to God as his only source of help. Rus speaks of those who are desperately poor and often weak and unprotected. Those described by this word lack both the material necessities of life and suffer from low social status and vulnerability to oppression-they are the ones likely to be treated unfairly in the courts or robbed by the powerful. Rus is used for "poor" in Psalm 35:10, a passage revealing God's compassionate intervention on behalf of the weak poor ("Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them").

In the New Testament, two Greek words are translated "poor." Penes describes what we might today call the "working poor;" as wage laborers, they are poor relative to the position of the well-to-do who do not have to work for their sustenance. Penes is used just twice in the New Testament (Luke 21:2 and 2 Corinthians 9:9). The latter use, in a passage about generosity in giving, suggests that it is appropriate for Christians to help the working poor, even though they are not technically destitute. The Greek word ptochos is used far more often in the New Testament; it describes those so poor that they are "reduced to a beggarly situation." Unable to meet their basic needs, this word emphasizes their dependency on others for help.

The diversity of words used to describe the various aspects of the condition of poverty shows God's broad-ranging concern for the poor. He sees them not only as materially bereft, but as often vulnerable to the powerful, afflicted by the wicked, and disparaged by the rich. Thus, God frequently asserts his special regard for the weak and unprotected, proclaiming his faithfulness to them and eager willingness to intervene on their behalf. He displays "tender mercies" to the poor and needy, desiring that they find in him refuge, protection, and provision. The Church is called to imitate such compassion, lovingly assisting the poor in numerous and diverse ways-both in terms of individual aid and in terms of working for a just society which treats the impoverished with fairness.

Amy L. Sherman is senior fellow with Hudson's Civil Society Programs, where she directs the Faith in Communities initiative. Reprinted with permission from Amy L. Sherman, Sharing God's Heart for the Poor: Meditations for Worship, Prayer and Service.

 

Prayer and worship 24/7
By Jan Woodard

Imagine this: a place where people worship and pray for revival, night and day, night and day-for years.

That's not a vision for what could be, but is a present day reality at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) near Kansas City, according to founder Mike Bickle. It's a model that is being duplicated in other communities that want to establish an ongoing place of prayer and worship.

"We began a prayer meeting six years ago and it never stopped," Bickle told the 200 people who attended the prayer sessions preceding the Aldersgate National Conference on the Holy Spirit.

Bickle said young people, the heart of IHOP's ministry, are following in the steps of another group that began as a young people's movement: "God is searching for worshippers, like he found in John Wesley and the Holy Club. They were young people without a clue what the Lord would do through them..The Wesley movement began with a youth group."

The holiness movement launched by the Wesleys still has "living sap in that root," Bickle said, commending the Spirit-filled United Methodists gathered for steadfastly "holding strong, refusing to let the ship go down."

Bickle said he believes "you can change the spiritual atmosphere of a place with prayer, intercession, and deeds of mercy." He is attempting to see that happen in the Kansas City area through IHOP, which owns a small strip mall where it operates several non-profit ministries, along with a sanctuary dedicated to prayer and a realty business that gives 100 percent of its profits to IHOP, according to Elizabeth Herder, IHOP director of development.

The IHOP staff includes 400 full-time workers, mostly young adults in their 20s and 30s, who are responsible for raising their own salaries. They each work 50 hours a week and are committed to spending 25 of those hours praying. Herder knows it may sound strange for people to actually earn an income for being intercessors, but she equates IHOP's workers to field missionaries. "They're prayer missionaries," she said.

Herder said one of the most important things for people to know about IHOP is that what is happening there is not a new thing. "You might call Leviticus 6:12 our mission statement," she said. The words are painted on the back of the sanctuary: "The fire on the altar shall never go out."

"Every solid move of God was birthed in prayer," she said. In comparison to the 100-year prayer meeting of the Moravians and the 300-year prayer monastery movement in Ireland, IHOP is just beginning to produce solid worshippers and intercessors. The focus of the 84 two-hour prayer segments each week, however, is anything but puny. "Prayer is the clearest, most valuable thing we can do with our time for a global harvest," Herder said.

Bickle calls IHOP's young adults "the David Generation," with hearts for worship like young King David. A visit to IHOP found young people in the sanctuary, bookstore, and the coffee shop, and a few dozen of them at outside tables, socializing and talking about their lives and faith.

Bickle asked the Aldersgate intercessors to pray for the youth of America. "It's the moms and dads, laboring in prayer" who will empower them to become prayer warriors who make difference, he said. "We want to excel in meekness and service, but be bold in pursuing the fear of the Lord."

The three pre-conference prayer sessions were around the theme, "The Fear of the Lord," which Bickle defined as "a sovereign encounter dimension that is more than awe. It's a birthright (that comes) as moms and dads pray."

Each December IHOP hosts a conference for youth from around the country called "One Thing." Visit www.fotb.com.

Jan Woodard is a staff writer for the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.



Click here to send your response plus the title of this article to us at Good News.

Good News | 308 East Main St. | P.O. Box 150 | Wilmore, KY 40390 | 859-858-4661 | 1-800-487-7784
info@goodnewsmag.org | About Us | ©2007 Good News magazine