For generosity and compassion for the poor and needy, No. 2

*** That Americans would be generous and have compassionate hearts for the poor and needy. ***

Psalm 112:9
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.

Please pray with me:

Heavenly Father,
You are the Creator and all things belong to You.

Psalm 50:10
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

Yet, You have lavishly poured out Your blessings on this nation. Thank You. We have been a prosperous nation and repeatedly served as a flagship of care and giving to the world. We have poured Your blessings out to other people, here in the U.S. and to other nations. All of this has been accomplished because of Your generosity to us. Thank You.

What a blessing to pour out Your lavish provision to us. What an honor to give in Your Name, and in gratitude for all You have done for us in the U.S. and all You have given to us. Your mercy has been without flaw.

Father, as we have become accustomed to so much, we have forgotten that everything we have is because of You. We have taken credit for our giving. We have credited ourselves for lavish lifestyles and we have become a nation that is wasteful. Forgive us. Call us to confess and repent.

We have forgotten that when we are wasteful, we are wasting Your gifts to us. The amount of food we throw in the trash, our desire to buy, to have...Father, it seems we have become addicted to "having stuff." We have lost sight of You as our Shepherd, and that You supply our needs. We have moved past our needs to our desires and allowed them to take control of our buying. So now we have less with which to help others. Worse, we have come to believe that all the stuff we have bought belongs to us and we have lost sight that it all belongs to You. Forgive us. Call us to confess and repent.

There is so much need in the world and none of us can claim ignorance. The news media reports the horrid conditions of people all over the world...people who have no food, no shelter, no water. We have no excuse and we cannot say that we did not know. We turn our heads, avert our eyes, and go about our busy-ness. Forgive us. Call us to confess and repent.

For many of us, there is so much need that it is overwhelming. I want to help! But the need quickly outstrips my resources and I don't know how to help. I feel meager and impotent. I am frustrated that I can't find additional resources. I know that others feel the same way. Help Lord!

Call us to stand before Your throne of grace to beckon You to show us how to help. Gather us, Your church to mobilize and help these organizations that are already in place. Guide us to know how to give what we can. Give us a heart to sacrifice and give.

Father, if I can save $20 a week on food, then I can give $80 a month to an organization that feeds the poor. If I can save only $10 a week, then that's still $40 a month, almost $500 a year! Encourage us that little bits can make a difference. Implore our hearts, turn our minds to do what we can.

And what about our stuff. We all have so much stuff. Bring us a mindset of minimalism...or at least frugality, not just in our finances, but in our collections of stuff and in our buying. Help us to cultivate a different mindset towards our needs and give us the perspective of the needs of others. Show us how to manage our thinking so that we can down-size our needs and use what we don't need to help others. Give us a joyful drive to do this!

Mobilize us as a quiet army of givers. Help us to prioritize our lives in comparison to the enormous need around us. As we become thrifty and sensitive to the enormity of need, may this become our new lifestyle.

Father, the needs of hungry and homeless people here in the U.S., the needs of refugees, especially in the Middle East, those affected by earthquakes and weather disasters...guide us on how we can help andiInvigorate us to do so.

In Jesus’ Name.

Consider praying this prayer on this topic. For generosity and compassion for the poor and needy, No. 1

***These prayers are based on the encouragement and guidance from Intercessors for America. These prayers are my own and the content does not reflect the philosophy or policies of Intercessors for America. These are published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Please consider joining this army of prayer warriors. Consider visiting their website to learn more. http://ifapray.org/