"Give me your tired, your poor ... yearning to breathe free." – Statue of Liberty.

 

We met ‘Stu’ in the Mojave Desert.

He’d been a middle-class defense worker in Palmdale, California. He’d had a family, home, new car, and camper. Life was good. Then government budget cuts struck. Contracts were cancelled. 14,000 workers, including Stu, were laid off. 11,000 of them (not counting renters) lost their homes. When Stu lost his, his wife left him.

Six months later, his unemployment payments ran out. But there were still no jobs. He had no income, and no house. So he slept in his camper out in the desert, where parking was free. Then his license plates expired. He didn’t have money to renew them, and the police seized his vehicle. After that, Stu slept under bridges or wherever there was shelter from the weather.

He told us that at least 18 of his co-workers committed suicide after their layoffs.

Finally a "Good Samaritan" got Stu a job at a store 100 miles away. He worked hard. When we knew him, he’d become an assistant manager.

The Bible’s teachings about "loving our neighbors" are like a symphony. The most dominant refrain is that those neighbors include the poor. Stu’s experience, and our own, showed us that poverty doesn’t strike only the uneducated, lazy, alcoholics, or addicts. Illness, recessions, natural disasters, and many other events can force anyone at all into poverty. And it can be very hard to get back out.

The US Census Bureau says the country’s 2009 poverty rate was 14.3%. That’s 43.6 million Americans. It’s the highest level since 1994, and is one result of the recession that began in 2007. It’s more than the total 2000 population of 29 states and the District of Columbia!

Many of us look down on them. We call them "trailer trash" or worse. But God sympathizes with the poor and is angry at what’s happened to them.

Unfortunately, the best way to learn is to experience it.

Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper told what the future King of England learned when he and a poverty-stricken look-alike boy changed places.

My family saw poverty first-hand when God led us through a six-year-long homeless odyssey that began when my job, and 13,000 others, were lost in one defense plant. The result? We lived in over 40 campgrounds and met hundreds of other families who were there for similar reasons. We learned their stories. That changed my outlook on poverty forever.

My beliefs about poverty had been simple. All the poor were lazy, alcoholics, or drug addicts. They were like the unkempt men we see at intersections holding crude cardboard signs saying they need work, but who refuse most jobs and accept only donations. (I’ve seen two whose signs read "Why lie? I want beer!")

I never stopped to wonder why, if the poor were really like that, God would be so angry when we didn’t help them!

But living in all those campgrounds with a wife and two teen-agers taught me that my thinking on poverty had been just about as accurate as the logic a friend’s small son used during a picnic in the mountains east of San Diego.

As our car wound along the twisting gravel road below the Cuyamaca Peaks, ‘Bobby’s’ mother told him we were going to the "Devil’s Punchbowl." Bobby was instantly, completely, genuinely terrified! He didn’t want to be anywhere the devil was! And if Satan wasn’t there, why would it be called that?

I told him it was only a name. He wasn’t convinced. His mother tried: "Don’t worry, Bobby, the devil lives in Los Angeles!" It didn’t help. No amount of persuasion eased his fears.

Devil or not, we were soon there. Bobby emerged from the car hesitantly, as if fully convinced Satan was lurking behind some nearby rock or tree, ready to spring the moment his back was turned.

But, after the two-hour drive, his five-year-old bladder needed relief. He asked me where the bathrooms were. I could have simply taken him. But – perhaps that devil was influencing me! – I was curious just how frightened he really was. So I merely pointed to the trail leading up one side of the little valley, and waited to see if he’d go up it alone.

Bobby hesitated, but finally started up the hill. Moments later he was back. "The door’s stuck. Will you help me?"

I took his hand and walked up the slope with him. At the top I reached out and touched the door very gently with the tip of one finger. It swung open, freely and easily.

I still waited, to see if he’d be brave enough to go into the Forest Service two-holer alone. He wasn’t. "Will you come with me?" So I did.

Afterwards, as Bobby pulled up his pants and buckled his belt, he leaned over and peered down into the dark hole.

"Huh!" he said. "So that’s how the devil gets down there!"

OK, Bobby’s theory was just a bit off. But so was mine. Almost none of the "poor" families we met in those campgrounds fit my stereotypes. Instead, they were honest, hardworking middle class families. They’d suffered layoff, sickness, or divorce (I’ve experienced all three). They’d lost their homes and been thrust deep into the lower class. They weren’t lazy. Most had no alcohol or drug problems. None of them begged on street corners. Some had low-paying work again, but none had homes.

We met those people in every campground we lived in. Yet, during our whole first year, we met exactly one family that was abusing the system!

One single mother who worked full time lived in a tiny RV because she couldn’t afford an apartment. We met many who earned too much to qualify for welfare or food stamps, but not enough to pay rent, food, car expenses, insurance, and doctor bills. Yet they were fortunate. They were among the few who had some sort of RV. Many more families became like Stu. They lived in cars, under bridges, or in shelters.

Those campground residents were a brand new side of America to us. One Christian magazine editor rejected a story on our experiences by saying she’d never heard of such things. We wondered: shouldn’t we be ashamed of knowing so little about the suffering, hungry, homeless, and sick around us?

We learned that "looks" mean little in judging poverty. I expect many shabby-looking "con artists" live quite comfortably. In contrast, we’d lost our home but neither our clothes nor our pride. We dressed neatly. We did plenty of praying for work and money, but never begged.

We learned that we can’t know our flock’s needs by reading books, watching TV specials, or listening to talk shows or politicians. We have to see those sheep for ourselves. And, in those six years, we did.

What we saw did fit the Bible’s portrait of poverty well. Yes, it can be caused by bad habits. But many poor are honest and hardworking. Their poverty came from circumstances, or others’ greed or dishonesty. And Scripture tells us in no uncertain terms to help such people!

Aren’t people in many countries worse off? Yes. Ash Barker describes Asian workers literally chained to sewing machines, earning $1 a day. Blogs by David Kuo, Anne Jackson, Pete Wilson, Shaun Groves, and others describe intense poverty they’ve seen during trips to Africa, India, Haiti, and elsewhere. And those people are among the "neighbors" Jesus tells us to love.

Yet can we overlook hurting "neighbors" in our own communities? The US has the highest poverty rate, and the greatest gap between rich and poor, of eighteen developed nations. (Mark Rank, One Nation, Underprivileged, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 33). Too many here can’t feed or dress their children adequately, or are homeless.

Jesus did not say "it’s OK if you don’t feed or clothe your city’s neighbors, because other people are even poorer." He did say "When you refused to help ... these my brothers, you were refusing help to me." (Matthew 25:45.).

He teaches us to love and help our "neighbors" next door AND around the world.

More Scriptures: Job 24:14, 34:27-28, Ps. 10:9-15, 107:39, Prov. 22:16, 28:8, Isa. 58:4-12, Ezek. 18:10-17, Amos 2:6-7, 4:12, 5:7, 8:4-7, Zech. 7:8-10.

Emphatically!

What kinds of help do the poor need? Many. One laid-off engineer in his fifties had given up looking for work because no one would hire men his age. He needed real job leads. Retraining can help some people, but, truthfully, too few. A retrained fifty-year-old is still a fifty-year-old. Most companies won’t consider him.

Widely varied passages show that the early Church "loved" the poor.

Also read: Matt. 26:6-11, John 13:29.

"Mordecai ... wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor." (Esther 9:20-22, NIV)

Today, Jews celebrate Mordecai and Esther’s victory over Haman by helping others during the feast of Purim.   Lisa Katz tells us that Jewish children and adults, in costume, walk through their neighborhoods giving family, friends and neighbors treats like hamantashen ("Haman’s ears").

And everyone is taught to give gifts of food or money to at least two people in need. http://judaism.about.com/od/purim/a/purimcustoms.htm.)

It’s popular to believe the Bible promises Christians riches. But does it?

Long ago, Job’s culture firmly believed godliness meant prosperity.

That’s why his friend Bildad the Shuhite claimed: "If you were pure and good, he would hear your prayer and ... though you started with little, you would end with much" (Job 8:6-7). "The truth remains that if you do not prosper, it is because you are wicked" (Job 18:5).

In Job 36:7-11, Elihu maintains: "He does not ignore the good men ... If troubles come ... he takes the trouble to point out to them the reason ... If they listen and obey him, then they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives."

Also read: Job 4:6-11, Eccl. 5:19-20, 1 Thess 3:2-4.

Yet Job’s central teaching is that we can be godly and still endure poverty, sickness, or suffering.

The New Testament agrees. It stresses giving wealth away. It promises blessing, but emphazises facing persecution – in some 20 chapters in Acts alone. Note Rom. 8:17: "since we are his children, we will share his treasures ... But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

Paul cautioned that King David warned "Let their good food and other blessings trap them into thinking all is well between them and God. Let these good things boomerang on them and fall back upon their heads." (Rom. 11:9.)

Solomon said: "Enjoy prosperity whenever you can, and when hard times strike, realize that God gives one as well as the other – so that everyone will realize that nothing is certain in this life." (Eccl. 7:14, also Eccl. 7:11, 8:14, 9:11.)

God himself may give either wealth or poverty.

"Some he causes to be poor,

He asserts "I send good times and bad." (Isa. 45:7)

And in Isa. 43:2-4 he tells Israel: "When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up – the flames will not consume you ... you are precious to me and honored, and I love you."

Did you notice? God didn’t say "if" those he loved went through trouble. He said "when!" But God does promise to walk through the difficult times with us! And that’s been my family’s experience.

More Scriptures: Job 20:10, Ps. 22:26-27, 34:17-19, 37:3, 37:25-26, 68:10, 106:5, 107:41, Prov. 10:3, Isa. 1:19, 26:4-7, 54:13, Jer. 20:13, Mal. 3:10-12.

3 John 1:2 says "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (New King James). Doesn’t that verse prove God wants us to be wealthy?

It looks that way. But, no, it doesn’t.

Why not?

First, how do other versions translate it?

The NIV says "I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."

The Living Bible reads "I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is."

Does that sound as if John is praying for his friend’s wealth?

Then what did John mean? Let’s look at where he said that: the very start of his letter.

Haven’t you begun many letters "How are you? Hope everything’s going well!"

I’m sure John would have loved to see Gaius wealthy. But here he was only saying "hello."

We overlook God’s conditions.

Many "wealth" verses come with conditions.

To live righteous lives.

To help our neighbors.

To give God a tenth of our income.

To designate a third of that giving for the poor.

Too often we obey one or two of God’s requirements, but ignore the rest.

Several "prosperity" verses were addressed to the nation, not individuals. They were only valid if the nation obeyed. When Israel didn’t obey God, Caleb had to wait 45 years to see God’s personal promises to him fulfilled. (Num. 13:17-33, 14:1-45 (note verses 24 & 30), Josh. 14:6-14).

Also read: Deut.7:11-13, 26:16-19, Lev. 26:3-13, Mal. 3:9-12 (verses 9 and 12 refer to the whole land).

We interpret God’s promises too narrowly.

Is the question whether God prospers his children? Or how and when?

Paul taught that money is only one way God blesses us: "Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money ... For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin." (1 Tim. 6:6-10, also read Ezek. 7:19, 33:31-32, Prov. 13:7)

Albert Schweitzer said, "Those who thank God much are the truly wealthy."

God has blessed my family – but often in other ways than money.

One day my boss abruptly asked if we’d like to buy his pop-up camper. He and his wife had taken it on one camping trip, only to learn she was allergic to ants!

We prayed. At breakfast the next morning we asked our then-7-year-old son Bill to say grace. As he finished, he added "And, God, if you want us to have that trailer, please let Wray give it to us."

Caught by surprise, and lacking Bill’s simple faith, I explained we should just pray that Wray would offer us a reasonable price. But later that same day, Wray volunteered "Pete, If you’d like the camper, I’ll just charge what it’ll cost to fix it up: new tires, servicing the refrigerator, things like that. Nothing for me."

We "bought" the camper, and took it on on several vacations. When the layoffs cost us our house, it gave us our first temporary home. We couldn’t have known how valuable it would be. But God did. And he provided it!

We focus on some Scriptures and forget others.

Prosperity appeals. But as with the three Hebrew children (Daniel 3:16-18), the state of our souls – not our bank account - is the true test of his care. Early Christians joyfully experienced "much trouble," "hard times," and "deep poverty" (2 Cor 8:2).

"But as for me, my contentment is not in wealth, but in seeing you and knowing all is well between us." (Ps. 17:15)

"Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs! For if I grow rich, I may become content without God. And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name." (Prov. 30:8-9, also read Ps. 37:15, Phil. 3:18-19.)

Paul prayed about his needs, but wasn’t concerned how God answered.

"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit ... These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen." (2 Cor. 4:8-18)

Despite Paul’s faith, God never gave him prosperity. "I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." (2 Cor. 11:27.)

Did God fail? Paul answers in Philippians 4:11-13: "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power."

And in Romans 8:35-37: "When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us any more? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us? No ... overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us."

One Minor Prophet expressed it eloquently: "Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation." (Hab 3:17-18.)

Many "wealth" promises are only fulfilled in heaven.

The beggar Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) never obtained earthly wealth. But when the rich man died and pleaded for water, Abraham told him "Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted and you are in anguish."

"They were hungry and sick and ill-treated – too good for this world ... none of them received all that God had promised them; for God wanted them to wait and share the even better rewards that were prepared for us." (Heb. 11:38-40)

Others are realized on earth over many years.

Under Mosaic law, land lost by poor families was only restored every half-century.

The first Christian congregations I saw consisted almost entirely of the working poor. But as those families lived out their Christian values of love, hard work, and honesty, they and their children steadily moved up in society.

Years later we attended a similar church which contained a "who’s who" of its community: the city’s leading female TV news anchor; the founders of a grocery store chain; two auto dealership owners; a president of the American Association of Trial Lawyers; a network soap opera star; a prime-time TV child star; a Miss South Carolina; a Miss Georgia; and hundreds of teachers, lawyers, and other professionals.

More Scriptures: Job 5:15-16, 35:9-15, Ps. 9:18, 12:5, 14:6-7, 37:12-19, 37:34, 69:29-33, Zep. 3:12-13, Zech. 8:9-13.

Months after our assistant pastors had prayed about a need, an old friend told them God had dealt with him to send them money. "But," he said, "I didn’t do it."

God often sends the answers to others’ prayers through us. He gives us freedom to deliver those answers, or not.

After seeing horrendous suffering in a children’s cancer center in Mulago, Uganda, David Kuo was "virtually unable to pray." But later, during a round of chemotherapy for his own brain tumor, he found himself talking to God again. "I asked God why it happened. Why he let it happen. Whether it was worth even talking to him. I asked him how he could allow that suffering."

And David says that God answered:

"I don’t. You do."

Sobered, David thought that over. Later, he asked, "How much money do we make? How much do we spend each year on, oh, coffee? Clothes? Computers? Cars? How much do we spend to become fatter than we should? We have the resources to change the world. We just use those resources on ourselves and curse God for allowing suffering." (his blog, "J-Walking," March 12, 2008.)

When God sends someone else’s answer through us, do we listen well enough to deliver it? Or do we just thank God for the "extra blessing" and keep it?

There are simply too many poor for any one organization to help. In the Old Testament, God gave the whole nation that responsibility. Today, the church should lead by example, but only the whole nation has the resources to help everyone.

Why does God think failing to help our neighbors is such a terrible sin? We know this. He hates suffering. And, to him, leaving a poor family unable to see a doctor, or sleeping on the streets, may be little short of murder.

Too strong a statement? It may seem so when we’re living comfortably, but not when we’ve "been there." When we’ve walked in others’ shoes, we don’t just see statistics that women without medical insurance have a 50% higher death rate from breast cancer. We see the real faces of real people. We feel their despair and lack of hope.

More Scriptures: Ps. 10:2, 10:9-15, 37:14-15, Prov. 14:20-21, 14:31, 17:5, 22:16, 22:22-23, 28:8, 28:27, Isa. 3:13-15, Jer. 2:34-35, 5:26-29, Ezek. 22:29-31, Amos 2:6-7, 4:1-2, 5:11, 8:4-8, Zech. 7:8-14.

"Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor." (Prov. 22:9)

Isa.58:4-12 says:

• God will shed his glorious light upon us.
• He’ll heal us
• He’ll lead us forward.
• Goodness will be our shield.
• The Lord’s glory will protect us.
• God answers "Yes, I am here."
• Our light shines out from the darkness.
• Darkness will be as bright as day.
• The Lord will guide us continually.
• He’ll satisfy us with good things.
• He’ll keep us healthy.
• We’ll be like "well watered gardens, an ever flowing spring."
• Our sons will rebuild our cities.

2 Cor. 9:7-11 promises that if we help those in need:

• God will give us everything we need with plenty left over.
• Our good deeds will be an honor to us forever.
• The needy will overflow with thanks to God, and praise him that "our deeds are as good as our doctrine."