Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

By: Dorothy Wong | Manager of Operations

A few years ago, it was common to hear young people say “blessed” or post #blessed when they received or experienced something good.  It may be getting their favourite drink or spending time with friends.  However, it would be very unlikely that you would see a post about someone facing life challenges or financial difficulties ending their post with #blessed.

So why does Jesus begin the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:3 NIV) with “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom.”?  Perhaps the NLT translation can help us understand better what it means to be poor in spirit.  “Those who are poor and realize their need for him.”  So anyone who is lacking (which I may be bold saying is all of us) and that because of our limitation, we need God.  This may be the most important acknowledgment for anyone of the Christian faith.  We need to recognize that we are sinners, that we are not perfect, and in order for us to have a relationship with a perfect God, we need Him to make things right for us.  

Oftentimes, when things are going well and we don’t have any immediate needs, we tend to focus more on ourselves and just go through life without any real dependence on God or anyone else.  Yes, we can also say that in times of trouble, we can also focus on ourselves and the barriers before us and not look to God or others.  However, it is in those times that we generally will reach out to God for help.  So it is out of our poverty that we are able to find our greatest Treasure.

It is our hope that the families that we walk along with will recognize that they can find hope in God.  That despite their financial poverty they have a God who wants to bless them.  Not with things of this world but of things unseen.  We are blessed when we have a right relationship with God.  We are blessed because we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and have the gift of eternal life.  Even though our time here on this earth is only temporary we are blessed because He is right there with us during our joys and sorrows.

This also reminds us (me) that in God’s eyes there is no differentiation between those that have or have not.  We all need Him.  So we are not the saviors going into communities impacted by poverty to make things right.  We are simply broken people that have found hope in Jesus, a people with a passion to share this hope with a community that is also broken, and to build up Christ-followers that will transform their community with this hope.

Has there been a time in your life when you experienced God’s goodness in the midst of a challenging time?  Write this experience down and use it as a reminder of God’s promise to bless those who are poor in spirit, when you face a difficult time in the future.