God cares about the abused and the oppressed. He does not look down upon the mistreated, and He abhors their affliction. He gathers their tears in His bottle and records them in His journal (Psalm 56:8). He promises not to hide His face from them when they cry out to Him, and He champions their cause (Psalm 22:24, 140:12).
He redeems the soul of the afflicted from deceit and violence. Their blood is precious in His sight (Psalm 72:14). God promises to lift up the distressed above those who try to hurt them and to deliver them from violent people (Psalm 18:48). He makes things right and provides the afflicted with a refuge from oppression and trouble (Psalm 9:9; 103:6).
He brings down the haughty evil person and saves the afflicted (2 Samuel 22:28). God tells the church to bear one another burdens (Galatians 6:2). We encourage each other in our times of distress (Hebrews 12:12). We can serve as a Guardian Ad Litem for a child, or help out in a shelter for the abused, or visit the imprisoned and widows.
God blesses the poor, the needy, those that hunger, and those who weep. He gives them His Kingdom, fills our hunger, and brings laughter to us in the midst of our tears (Luke 6:20-21; Proverbs 22:9; Psalm 72:12-14). Our Father God strengthens us, shelters us through every storm, gives us restful shade from the heat, and to protect us from evil people who plot our demise (Isaiah 25:4; Psalm 146:5-9).
He teaches us not to neglect our vocation or business, to pray each moment of our day, to serve others through hospitality, to give to His Saints in their time of need, and to fervently serve Him in spirit and truth (Romans 12:11-13). God lifts the needy and raises the poor, and He sets us with princes (Psalm 113:5-8).
God calls us to also show mercy to those less fortunate than we are. He wants us to feel mercy and compassion on those individuals who are suffering (Zachariah 7:9; Isaiah 58:9-10). He blesses us every time we show mercy to others (Matthew 5:7). He calls on us to commit our soul to Him when we suffer according to His will, because He is always faithful to keep us (1 Peter 4:19).
Prayer:
Father God, before my healing journey through You began, I constantly put others above myself. Then, I futilely looked to others to nurture me in return. I took this concept that your Christian principle taught in 1 John 4:7-13. However, I continually served my family, my church, and my neighbors without receiving reciprocal attention from them. This taught me to set aside time to nurture myself and to spend continual time in Your presence alone.
Thankfully, I did receive some of what I needed from those rare individuals whom You provided to nurture me at this time. Thank You also for teaching me that You champion those who are downcast in our soul. In order to see You as the true Lover of My Soul, I had to see You as my supply for all my needs. Thank You for teaching me to set boundaries with people that took from me all the time and never gave, but that I should also look to You to lead me according to Your will for me, rather than being led by the codependent expectations and last moment decisions of others. I find my rest in the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 91:1, 4).
Thoughts for the Day:
God taught me to write down every thought and emotion in my soul – negative and positive. I depended on my journal to uncover the deep-seeded events that led me into codependency and to find healing under the shelter of God’s wings. Then I stopped looking to others to meet my needs and to help me to heal my childhood wounds, but I prayed in my quiet place and waited on God to do His sanctifying work in my soul.
