Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday. ~ Isaiah 58:9b-10
The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.~ John F. Kennedy
We cannot build peace on empty stomachs. ~ Sir John Boyd Orr
To be clear, there are many reasons for violence and terrorism in the world. It is a complicated and tragic consequence of many systemic and individual failures.
But one of those failures is the lack of food security for much of the world. According to the latest UN report, roughly 30% of the world's population lack access to adequate food - a situation that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic.
People who are starving are often desperate. And desperate people turn to desperate measures to provide nutrition for themselves and their families.
Isaiah understood this. We begin to free ourselves from fear and violence when the needs of those who are suffering are met. In the West, there is an overabundance that can be shared. When we remove the yoke of our own abundance, we can begin to truly be free.
Questions for thought: What are some of the places in our community that work to feed the hungry? What are some of the global agencies you are aware of? Can you find one you aren't familiar with and learn more about how they serve the nutritional needs of the planet?
Pray: Ask God to guide you to broaden your awareness of the places in the world where food is most scarce. Pray for help for those areas.
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