O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
—Psalm 10:17-18
The Law of God repeatedly protects the poor. The prophets condemn those who transgress that Law. The apostles command that the poor be ministered to. And Christ himself lives a life of poverty, calling others to become poor for the sake of his gospel. But nowhere is God's love for the least among us more evident than in the psalms. Here we see not only God's love for them, but God's promise that their mistreatment will not be tolerated forever.
In this new reality in which we find ourselves, where the rich not only openly rob the poor, but rape the very earth they depend on for their future, it is difficult to believe that the psalmist could be right—that God's justice will come. But God's answer is found not only in words on a page, but in the Word made flesh. In Jesus Christ, his life, death, and resurrection, we see not only God's love for the downtrodden, but a new reality in which God's chosen cannot be defeated by the powers of manipulation, greed, or hatred.
Strengthen the hearts of your little ones, O God. Listen to their prayers, bring about justice for the orphan and the oppressed, and take away from them the terror of those whose gains come at the expense of the creation given for the nurture and benefit of all; in Jesus' Name. Amen.
