Psalm 12-God of the Oppressed

                A question was posed to a discussion group I am a part of this week.  What group is the most oppressed group?  As I pondered that I thought about Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants, the poor of this country, and the poor of other countries.  I couldn’t come up with who I thought was the most oppressed.  I thought of the experiences of some of my friends who have traveled to third world countries.  These were certainly places of extreme poverty and oppression yet the people there were filled with a joy and a love for God like none I have ever seen.  As I pondered this a quote that I heard years ago kept coming back to me.  “It doesn’t matter the size of the pile of poo you step in, it is still poo.”

            As I read the responses that flowed in I was made aware of even more groups.  African girls who are forced to undergo genital mutilation became the top of my list in the area of cruel oppression. Korean comfort women are right there with them.  Last night I read an article about white privilege that was written by a white person who grew up in extreme poverty.  The person was once offended by any suggestion that she experienced white privilege until she read an article that listed some of the privileges all white people are afforded and realized that the poorest of white persons still experience white privilege. 

            It’s easy to close our eyes and shut out the oppression that still exists in this world.  As Christians we must realize, as the psalmist of Psalm 12 realized, that God is the God of the oppressed.  God promises to “provide the help they are gasping for.”  As followers of Jesus Christ we must be the hands and feet of God in providing this help.  Who are the oppressed around you, in your community?  That is a great place to start.  What can you do to combat oppression in your community?  Pray the prayer of the psalmist and seek God’s guidance in helping the oppressed around you.