Standing with the Weak

I’ll tell you what it really means to worship the Lord. Remove the chains of prisoners who are bound unjustly. Free those who are abused!

Isaiah 58:6 (CEV)

Think speech class is terrifying? How about having an angry mob outside throwing rocks through the windows while you’re talking?

That’s what Angelina Grimké faced when she spoke. But the daughter of a South Carolina slave owner was used to people getting angry at her words. When she spoke against slavery in the early 1800s, she lost her friends, her family, and eventually her home. Her letters, books, and speeches sparked riots, book burnings, and the mob throwing rocks. Her writings about the slaves’ struggles led to the writing of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which, it can be argued, led to the Civil War.

“We are commanded to love God with all our minds, as well as with all our hearts,” she wrote, “and we commit a great sin if we forbid or prevent that cultivation of the mind in others which would enable them to perform their duty.”

Angelina believed that when we worship God, we must stand with him against the oppression of the weak. When she did, it cost her everything. But still, she saw the Lord keep her safe. Shortly before she died, slavery was outlawed in America!

But oppression did not end. Everywhere in this world, we find people who are outcasts and hurting, physically or emotionally. Like Angelina, if we worship the Lord, we must stand up for them. Ask God to help you stand strong today!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

So many evils exist in the world today—sex trafficking, pornography, bullying, terrorism, and so on. What issue upsets you? How might the Lord be calling you to be involved? Pray for an opportunity to stand up for the weak. Then spend a few moments in silence, meditating on God’s words and listening for his answer.

INSPIRATION

“There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.”

—Timothy Keller, American pastor and author in New York City

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 147:11

Proverbs 14:31

Matthew 25:40

1 John 3:17