The Hope of the Poor

But those who have troubles will not be forgotten. The hopes of the poor will never die. – Psalm 9:18 (NCV)

Have you ever felt forgotten in your troubles? What was it like? What was going on? Have you ever looked over the community and felt hopeless? What does it mean to you that, “The hopes of the poor with never die?”

This week First Presbyterian Church served two meals to high school students who came from Illinois to Albany for their spring break. The reason they travelled the 18 hours by bus to get here was to help build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
Apparently the students had heard that they could come down for the week and serve others in need. One of the faculty supervisors told me that they came up to her with a full spread sheet they had done on their own, explaining the places they would stop, where they would eat meals, and every other thing that could be considered.
It was incredible to go down to the worksite and watch teenagers working together in a foreign place to fight the good fight, to remember those who have troubles and let them know they are not alone, they are loved by teens from 900 miles away. Hearing how they had no idea what pimento cheese was, or watching some have their first bite of banana pudding, while they shared how excited they were to be able to serve was a blessing. After each meal they were filled with gratitude that we would do anything to serve them. I kept thinking to myself, “How could we not serve you for serving us, it is I who am filled with gratitude.” And it was then I realized that in serving these incredibly devoted youth that we were also serving those they were serving.

Indeed when we serve others the hopes of the poor will never die! A lot of people give up hope when they see all the pain in the world. I have heard many people bemoan the state of our young people, and wonder what good will be left in the future. And yet just this week I saw 55 young people who instead of resting or partying with their time off decided to figure out ways to serve the needy. Hope abounds all around us, we need only open our eyes to see it. Hope can also be created the moment we stop bemoaning all the pain, and decide to go into it, and with the power of the Holy Spirit do something about it. Today let us learn from a group of teenagers from Illinois, and discover all the ways to serve in our communities.

With hope and joy,
Garrett