“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”

Babies communicate by crying. In order to get the attention of their caregivers or get their felt needs met, babies will cry. And they will continue to cry until they’re heard and their cry is answered! Just as parents answer their children cry for help, God expects his children to answer the cries of those who are in need of their help. To hear and answer the cry of the poor is to imitate the very heart of God!

Proverbs 21:13 is a form of the ‘

Golden Rule: “Do for others what you want them to do for you.” If you want people to answer your cry for help then answer their cry for help. Failure to answer the cry of the needy will result in your cry for help going unanswered. One who closes his or her ears to the cry of the needy in their circles of contacts is not only saying that they refuse to listen but that they also refuse to help. Communities of Christ have a responsibility to answer the cries of those within their respective communities!

Friends, when the phone rings or the text comes in from the needy, answer it. Because one day it just might be you on the calling end!

God, help me to answer the cry of the needy in my community with out judgment or bias, Amen!

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