I’ve tried quite a bit internationally, and I’ve seen something over and over. The Lord seems to favor those who help the poor, and that seems to be true regardless if they are atheists, Muslims, Mormons, etc… God is deeply concerned for the poor.
In fact, when I was reading the OT laws I was surprised at how many system had been set by the Lord for poor. There was the command to leave the leftovers of the harvest in the field for the poor to glean (Lev 23:22; Deut 24:19), if a man was dirt poor he could work as conscripted labor for another Israelite working for 6 years and going free in the 7th (Ex 21:2), there was a tithe every 3rd year where all the abundance went to the fatherless and widow (Deut 26:12) and more.
“Happy is one who care for the poor; the LORD will save him a day of adversity. The LORD will keep him and preserve him; he will be blerssed in the land. You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed; You will heal him on the bed where he lies” (Ps 41:1-3).
This psalm is actually a prayer in the context of an illness of David so bad others things he will die. His enemies attack, his family attacks, and even his friend whom he ate with raised his heel against me. David is in great distress.
So what does this have to do with the poor?
Because David believes that because he has walked in integrity and lived righteously, that the LORD will see and respond:
“By this I know that You delight in me: my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. You supported me because of my integrity and st me in Your presence forever” (Ps 41:12).
