Proverbs 21:13

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

When we see the word “poor” we usually think of it from a financial sense, i.e., lack of money, being in a lower income group. But the Hebrew word also means: lean, weaker, needy. And when you sit back and think about the people in your inner circle, outer circle, and community, there are “poor” people all around you:

A child’s parents are getting a divorce

A parent just found out their child is on drugs

A neighbor just found out she has cancer

A small business owner has been struggling ever since COVID hit

A business woman just found out that a trusted employee has been stealing from the business

A school teacher is at her “wits end” trying to teach, but can’t provide the discipline needed to manage her class

A pastor is struggling trying to balance home and ministry life

A laborer who maintains your yard struggles with English

Your friend’s son started hanging around “the wrong crowd”

A couple just found out that they can’t have children

A co-worker just got served divorce papers

You see, there are folks all around you who are “poor” in some respect. And Proverbs teaches us that if we ignore them, when we need help our cry for help will go unanswered.

Being selfish and self-centered is easy for us; it comes naturally…it muffles our ears to the cry of others. Who’s cry have you been shutting out?