Thoughts: Helping the Hungry, a 'God Thing'

When Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food, he was responding to wise government policy. Unlike its neighbors, Egypt had stored its grain and other food items during years of plenty. When drought and famine became widespread, needy people like Jacob and his family turned to that nation to help them survive. None of those who journeyed from Canaan to Egypt recognized it was a God thing.

When King Cyrus gave permission for his servant Nehemiah to lead a group of refugees back to their homeland, Cyrus saw it as a wise political move. A trusted servant could help bring stability to a wild and troublesome area of Cyrus' vast empire. The Persian king had no idea it was a God thing.

When the rich countries of the world forgave some of the debt of the world's poorest countries at the beginning of this millennium, no one called it a God thing. The decision was politically expedient. Yes it was religious groups who championed the biblical concept of forgiving debt as part of the Jubilee Debt Relief Campaign, but politicians saw the proposal as a way to bring stability to a chaotic portion of the world.

Go to a bush village in Mozambique, and the action might be seen as something else. See a village with a two-room school where both boys and girls study free of charge. See a visiting doctor treating patients for common injuries rather than bullet wounds. See children with something to eat in their bowls rather than the bloated bellies of the starving.

Across Africa, the decision of the United States and other industrialized countries to forgive some of the national debt of nations in the direst situations who agreed to embark on programs of development has resulted in 29 million more children being in school today compared to 10 years ago. The death rate of children has dropped....