Poverty and unemployment are two of the main concerns in many developing and third world countries. Above all, the responsibility of the Church is to pray for God’s intervention in such circumstances. Projects, conferences and initiatives to reach out to the poor and help turn around the increasing unemployment rate, can have much more impact and produce significant change if supported by persevering prayer.
When it comes to the poor or unemployed, it is easy to think that they are simply lazy and not willing to do something about their own situation. Although this may certainly be the case in several instances, it is important to realise that poverty and unemployment are very difficult and complex issues, and there are no easy solutions to just make it ‘go away’. In Deuteronomy 15:11 the Lord said, “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”‘ There is, however, a wonderful promise in Proverbs 19:17: He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
If prayer, together with deeds, is so important to address the matter of poverty and unemployment, what do we pray for?
Ask the Holy Spirit to change us
There are some things we can ask the Holy Spirit to change in us that will also impact and bring change to the plight of the poor, the powerless and the unemployed:
1. When we pray for the poor, it must be with compassion in our hearts
It is important not to pray from a cold, clinical and judgmental heart. It is possible to identify with the plight of the poor regardless of what you have, own, or earn. Unless we come to a better understanding of their daily dilemma, it will be very difficult to pray for them and to understand their helplessness. When we understand our own hopelessness and helplessness without God, we will understand the needs of the poor and then we will be able to pray for them.
Pray and ask the Lord to give you a compassionate heart for the plight of the poor.
2. We need to trust Him as our Source
Once we have tasted desperate situations in which God is the only answer and solution, we can testify of His care and love. There is a mystery for the Church to fulfil, understand and practice in 2 Corinthians 9:6-9: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
Pray and ask the Lord to give you a generous heart, who trusts Him whole-heartedly.
3. Understand that the poor will always be around (Deuteronomy 15:11; Matthew 26:11)
However, that does not mean that we must not do our utmost to care for them. James 2:15 makes it clear that faith without works is dead. One of the tasks of the Church is to focus on the needs of the poor and needy.
Pray and ask the Lord to show you how your church can become involved in projects reaching out to the poor and help the unemployed.
Upliftment
The solution for the upliftment of people lies in several areas:
- Education
- Foreign investment
- Wise government policies
- Restitution where necessary
- Exposure and eradication of all forms of nepotism and corruption, especially in the government and corporate businesses
- Exposure and removal of deals and agreements that can harm the economy in the short and/or long-term
- Prayer for the government and businesses to work towards and maintain a solid macro-economic structure
- A spirit of generosity in people that have the means to help and to give
- A greater involvement and compassion from the Church
- The spiritual salvation of the poor
Further considerations for prayer
1. Whenever the gap between rich and poor widens and the plight of the poor is not addressed, it can lead to civil unrest and even a revolution. The wide-scale violence, destruction, bloodshed and labour unrest going hand in hand with civil unrest and revolutions, always result in even more people being retrenched and increased poverty.
Pray for grace and mercy from the Lord, that a revolution will never take place in your nation.
2. There is an important role Church leaders can play by being a strong prophetic voice to the Church and also the government. As Christians, we need to align our thinking with God’s Word and realise our responsibility to take action (James 2:1-5; 5:1-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Deuteronomy 15:11; Matthew 26:11). This also includes warning governments when they take decisions contrary to God’s laws that will lead to the long-term harm of a nation. The poor and needy always suffer first and the most when this happens.
Pray for God to raise up leaders who have a passionate heart for God’s will to be done in a nation.
3. There are several very clear examples where spiritual revivals in the Church lead to the end of poverty, unrest, riots (e.g. The French Revolution didn’t spill over to England because there was a spiritual revival in England).
Ask God to be gracious and to send the Holy Spirit to renew and awaken hearts in a spiritual revival amongst all peoples in your nation, such as your nation has not yet seen.
4. Many Christians in government positions, corporate and small businesses, and other key positions can help in legitimate ways to channel money to help the poor and unemployed.
Pray that these people would give guidance and wisdom on how to help the poor and needy.
5. A godly education system can go a long way in the upliftment of a population.
Pray for the proper training of teachers and lecturers at schools, universities and colleges, and for teachers with integrity, high moral standards, and who want to carry the burden and responsibility to raise a generation of responsible young people.
6. Many times, poverty is caused by laws that exploit the poor and drive them back into hopelessness and humiliation.
Pray about laws and policies that keep systemic poverty intact.
7. Without a strong work ethic, not much will change. The poor should not view the solution to their economic circumstances only in the light of the redistribution of wealth of the rich, but rather through a willingness to work hard.
Pray for an end to corruption (that the work of syndicates will be exposed) and people to have a will to work. Pray for the mindset of citizens to shift from entitlement to a willingness to work diligently to build the country up.
8. There are large amounts of finances available to alleviate the pressures on the poor and needy. Unfortunately, corruption and greed, even amongst senior government officials, cost nations hundreds of millions every year.
Ask God to awaken the conscience of national, provincial and local leaders. Pray for the exposing of all and any kind of corruption, bribery and theft.
9. Animosity between government, the business sector and the labour force in a nation is a major obstacle in creating jobs. In many nations the agricultural sector employs a very large number of people and disruption in this sector could affect food security.
Pray for people to work together for the best interest of the nation, rather than one particular point of interest. Also pray for the implementation of laws to the benefit of all involved and that will protect both the employers and the employees.
10. The government itself cannot create employment. Corporate associations, the business sector and small businesses create the work.
Pray for government policies that will make it possible for the business sector to employ people.
A last note
It is sometimes believed that the Church is not doing anything about the plight of the poor and unemployed because it is not publicised widely or telecast every time a project is launched. In-depth research, however, shows that the Church is literally giving billions every year to help the poor and needy. The Church can and must do more, but the Church is certainly already making an enormous contribution in various ways.
