Imaging the God Who Cares for the Weak

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless..."

Psalm 146:5-9

"Verses 7-9 of Psalm 146 list groups of weak people (oppressed, hungry, prisoners, the blind, bowed down, sojourners, widow, fatherless)...for whom God shows His power and faithfulness in providing the relief they need" (ESV study note).

Aren't children the very definition of weak? They are helpless, vulnerable, small. Elijah and Jude are not "hungry" in the sense of "starving and malnourished," but they do get hungry every day and need me to provide food for them to survive and thrive. Praise God, they are not fatherless, but as unregenerate people, there's a real sense in which they are prisoners and blind.

And so my job today is to image God to my sons. I prepare healthy meals and snacks and patiently negotiate. I nurse and nurse again and nurse some more, and I reflect the God who gives food to the hungry. I cannot set prisoners free or open blind eyes, but I can point to Christ again and again, and I can walk in joyful freedom and proclaim how I see Him so that my boys see firsthand how God transforms people. I can lift up little ones and love them and watch over them, and in so doing, I reflect the present, watchful, tender care of God for the weak.

Lord, please make it so today.