As the angel told Roland Buck, if we want to see what God’s interests really are, we can find them in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah:
“[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?
Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking,
And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.
And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”—Isaiah 58:6–12 (AMP)
Meet People at Their Point of Need
So many things we focus on in life—and in ministry—have little or no lasting value. People do. People matter. People have lasting value—so much so that Jesus was willing to pay the ultimate price for them.
When we focus on meeting the needs of people, then we have a life and a ministry that God honors and rewards.
“Suppose a brother or sister has no clothes or food. Suppose one of you says to them, ‘Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.’ And you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done?”—James 2:15–16 (NIRV)
God considered Job to be a “perfect man” (Job 1:8). This is how Job described his own life and ministry:
“All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me. For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help. I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy. Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban. I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. I was a father to the poor and assisted strangers who needed help. I broke the jaws of godless oppressors and plucked their victims from their teeth.”—Job 29:11–17 (NLT)
When Jesus began His ministry, he declared His own “mission statement”:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”—Luke 4:18–19 (NKJV)
There is one thing that all of Jesus’ ministry encounters had in common. Jesus always met people at their point of need. As he said to Andrew,
“What are you looking for? [And what is it you wish?]”—John 1:38 (AMP)
