“Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.” Prov 13:23
The Lord has really impressed this verse on my heart over the last month, and I am not yet sure what He is trying to teach me through it. One thing I am sure of though-- this proverb rings very true if we look closely.
The NGO Rare recently posted an article describing the need for their “Lands for Life” program which illustrated this truth quite well. They shared the story of a Columbian farmer called José and the issues he is facing:
“José has farmed the same way for generations: He applies chemical fertilizers to his onions, corn, and potatoes, throws away plant residue, and trusts the advice of agrochemical company advisors connected with the municipal agriculture departments on when to plant and fertilize his crops.
But now… changes to the land, production, and their bottom line have José and others still worried.
‘Ten years ago, we could get multiple production cycles out of the same bulbs and amount of fertilizer than we do now,’ he laments, surveying his land.
...We need a people-centered solution that can break through years of distrust, shift mindsets, and empower farmers to be informed, agile decision-makers: true agents of sustained change.”
Corruption within the government, greed of large agrochemical companies, pressure from out of country consumers, and a general ignoring of farmer livelihood has led to lands sapped of their natural potential and no clear way out of poverty for small farmers. And this is the same basic story arc we see in so much of the developing world when we care to look. Similar things have happened in my country of service in SE Asia as well.
So, what do we do? Rare suggests people-centered solutions and empowering farmers to make decisions. Is that enough?
I would suggest that, although it is an important piece of the puzzle, that approach falls just short. It leaves the Just Judge and Good Father out of the picture. As followers of Jesus who believe that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne of grace (Psalm 97:2) and are commanded to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:35-40), to follow Jesus’ example and consider others more significant than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-10), and to use any grace God has given us to serve (1 Peter 4:10), we must also be seeking solutions that include perspectives on true Righteousness and Justice and are centered on Love.
We also can’t ignore the importance of seeking spiritual transformation in the communities we serve. Firstly, we cannot truly consider ourselves to be seeking the welfare of people if we do not also seek to bring them from death and wrath into life and joy. But it is also because there is real physical blessing in turing to the Lord, and He cares for those who follow Him. This is seen clearly in Psalm 107, especially verses 33-43:
“He turns rivers into a desert,
Springs of water into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
Because of the evil of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
A parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry dwell,
And they establish a city to live in;
They sow fields and plant vineyards
And get a fruitful yield.
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
And he does not let their livestock diminish.
When they are diminished and brought low,
Through oppression, evil, and sorrow
He pours out contempt on princes
And makes them wander in trackless wastes;
But he raises up the needy out of affliction,
And makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it and are glad,
And all wickedness shuts its mouth.
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
Let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
As we see the abundance in the ground of the poor swept away through injustice and seek to fight that injustice and serve those in need, let us attend to the things of God, and consider His steadfast love. Then, lets follow Him in seeking holistic transformation of communities.
--Richard
Photo by thuya 14 on Unsplash
Check out Rare’s article at: https://rare.org/story/rares-lands-for-life-program-takes-a-people-cent…;