Have you ever heard the saying, “forewarned is forearmed”? The basic principle behind the saying is that if we are warned about something, it is almost as if we are armed to defend ourselves because we will be prepared and not taken by surprise. Proverbs 21:13 sends us a warning that should help us become forearmed. It says:
“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”
God cares about the poor. In this verse, we are warned not to shut our ears to them. In another place, the Bible highlights how much God cares about the orphans and widows by calling believers to specifically care for them as well. God doesn’t take on the responsibility of caring for the poor and less fortunate by himself. He leaves much of that to his believers; those of us who call ourselves Christians and bow our knee to our Lord Jesus. It is our job to answer the cries of the poor. If we don’t do it, who will? I believe that God will figure a way to accomplish his goal if we fail, but who of us doesn’t want our cries answered? The scripture clearly says, “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be heard.” Do you want to be heard when you cry out? I know that I do. So, I encourage you to open your ears to the cry of the poor.
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Proverbs warns us that “if a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be heard.” You don’t have to be rich to help those who are poor. Just reach out in some way. Volunteer at an organization that ministers to the less fortunate. Pray for those who are in need. When the opportunity arises, or God lays someone on your heart who is in need, be quick to respond. Make no mistake, when we help the poor, God notices – especially when they are crying out for help. And when we shut our ears to their cry, well, he notices that too.
