What is poverty, and how do we address it? The answers to these questions may seem obvious, but, in fact, can be extremely complex. Many would say that poverty is the lack of something we need—food, water, shelter, finances, education, health care… And, indeed, billions of people struggle to obtain those basics. But when we dig a little deeper, we find that the root cause of material lack is wrong beliefs.

Wrong beliefs create all kinds of poverty and brokenness. Materially wealthy people often hold wrong beliefs that create broken systems. Corruption, injustice, and even slavery, flourish under beliefs like, “Those other people deserve to be poor, because they are uneducated/lazy/untrustworthy/stupid…” The poor can also be trapped by their own beliefs, such as, “We can’t do anything ourselves; we need someone else to help us.” And the Church, intended to be God’s hands and feet among the poor, is often crippled by beliefs like, “God only cares about spiritual things, not our physical well-being.” These are just a few examples of the lies that hold people in poverty. 

Poverty is a spiritual issue. It cannot be solved with material resources alone. In our experience, communities rise out of poverty through prayer, nurturing truth and confronting lies, and the church’s tangible demonstration of God’s love. 

Please pray…

• For churches in impoverished communities—that they would understand God’s truth and see how to live it out in all areas of life. Pray for the hearts of believers to be turned to love and care for those in need. Pray for them to share the love of God in all areas of life. Pray that God would be glorified and churches strengthened.
• For those living in poverty—that they would experience God’s provision and protection, especially in times of crisis. Pray for access to education, medical care, and income generation opportunities so they may fulfill their purpose as image-bearers of God. Pray for opportunities to learn to apply God’s truth to every area of life.
• For governments and leaders—for just systems to be put into place, for laws to be enforced that protect those in poverty, for the breakdown of unjust and oppressive systems. Pray that leaders would seek justice for the vulnerable in their lands. Pray that love and servanthood would replace greed and pride.