Prayer for the Needy, by Searcy Fox

Throughout many times in my life, I have cried out to God to hear me and answer me. Not until later in life, did
I realize that even though God does not respond in the exact way I asked or when I ask but he did respond in his timing. I have come to recently understand that no matter what, God is a forgiving and good Father. He is faithful and merciful throughout all the good and the bad times we experience in our lives. This causes me to constantly pray to be more like Him. Part of my daily prayers include how to help others who are actually poor and needy, and also of those who are well off but need help. One of the ways I have always helped is through service. I recently became involved with a human trafficking organization in Nashville. This group goes into a very impoverished area with survivors of human trafficking but also those who may have actually been traffickers in the past. In order to get in- volved with this organization, I had to go through a training on how to serve this group of people. This reminds me of the verses in Psalm 86 but also Luke 5:27-32. Jesus states, he did not come for the righteous but for the sinners to repent. Therefore, this idea of helping not only individuals who have been trafficked, but those who did at one time actively traffic humans, is important to living like Jesus and acting more like him. This is just one example of how we can strive to live and act like Jesus.

By accepting people for the child of God they are and not by their actions, we are able to be more like Jesus. We are not here to judge one another like the Pharisees and teachers did to Jesus by asking why he was with the poor and sinners but to openly accept all peoples, no matter who or what they may have done. While most of us have never sold another person or caused physical harm to another person, we do various “sins” each day by judging those around us or even just talking poorly about someone, even someone close to us. So, we must always remember, even though we may have committed what society would call a “big” sin, we sin all the time, even without being aware of it. However, God does not condemn us. He came for us to repent, no matter how big or small our sin(s) may be. He wants us to be with him and love him but also to love others has he loves us. My prayer today is:

God, please allow me to be aware of my sins and seek forgiveness from you, no matter what that may be. Please allow me to love others as you love us and share your word with anyone we may meet. Let me remember that you came to save the world, all sinners, no matter who they may be or what sin they have committed. Please allow me to leave my judgmental ways out of my every day and allow the final judgement to be up to you and not me. Lord, I pray you help me in my everyday life but also help me help others. Please allow me to be open and accepting to bring more people to you. Amen

PSALM 86:1-1; LUKE 5:27-32