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Poor and Needy
"Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me.
…Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;
let those who love your salvation say forever, “Great is the Lord!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me speedily, O God.
You are my helper and my deliverer; O Lord, do not tarry."
Psalm 70:1, 4-6
This Psalm, appointed today for Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer, reflects an attitude found throughout the Bible. We come to the Lord for deliverance, in haste for God’s help. Instead of puffing ourselves up, we are forever saying, “Great is the Lord!” In fact, we go so far as to admit that we are poor and needy.
The ancient pagan orator Celsus understood this attitude as distinctive of Christianity. And he did not like it. To him, it seemed weak. Celsus much preferred the heroic narratives you find in works by Homer, where a strong hero like Achilles fights to overcome his enemies and win the favor of gods and men. Like many of his contemporaries, Celsus rather looked down his nose on these followers of a crucified god — these plebians who openly admitted their poverty and need for deliverance. What kind of person would admit to such a thing?
Many years later, Friedrich Nietzsche rejected Christianity for the same reasons. He wanted to go back before the influence of Christ on the Western world and emulate who he saw as strong, manly pagans like Achilles or Odysseus. One still hears this kind of thing today, perhaps not with all the literary erudition of Nietzsche or Celsus, but the same objection. The former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler, Jesse Ventura, once called religion a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers.
The astonishing thing about the Christian faith is that, in a sense, we admit that all of this is true. Yes, we need help! Lord, deliver us and make it quick because we’re hanging on by a thread! We are poor and needy! We don’t claim to be great heroes, but instead we give all glory to God and are always talking about the greatness of the Lord.
Yet, what Celsus and Nietzsche failed to see is just how strong the saints can be when they admit their weakness and rely on the Lord. Think of Mother Theresa, tiny and poor, who became a powerful voice for the poorest, smallest and outcast in this world. Think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, training a little group of students during World War II to be faithful pastors, whose example endures long after the supposed thousand-year Reich crumbled to dust.
In the upside-down kingdom of God, that is just what we should expect. Today, I invite you to pray the words of this Psalm. Admit your spiritual poverty and need, and ask for deliverance. As St. Paul said: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
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