Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. — Isaiah 1:17

When a friend gets hurt, it’s easy for us to get mad. When someone we care about has been wronged, we are ready to fight back. But God tells us that our worship doesn’t mean much if we don’t also protect the weak, the outcast, the oppressed, and the forgotten. Not only do our friends need our help, but so do people who don’t have any friends. “To do right” doesn’t just mean being a good person and staying away from bad things in our holy little corners. It also means caring for, comforting, and encouraging people who no one else wants to pay attention to.

 

Thought

When a friend gets hurt, it’s easy for us to get mad. When someone we care about has been wronged, we are ready to fight back. But God tells us that our worship doesn’t mean much if we don’t also protect the weak, the outcast, the oppressed, and the forgotten. Not only do our friends need our help, but so do people who don’t have any friends. “To do right” doesn’t just mean being a good person and staying away from bad things in our holy little corners. It also means caring for, comforting, and encouraging people who no one else wants to pay attention to.

 

Prayer

Please pardon me for being self-centered in my use of your grace and love, Father. I’ll admit that I frequently find it convenient to hang out with people who resemble me in terms of appearance, mindset, and attire. I am aware that many people around me in the world do not have a friend, much less a defender. Dear LORD, please open my eyes to those in my world that you want me to care for, inspire, and bless. In Jesus’s precious name I pray. Amen.