Luke 19:2–10: And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor.  And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Heavenly Father, I learned lately of a colleague who, working in India, faces temperatures over 100˚F but has no air conditioning because of the poverty of his community and so must work at night rather than in the daytime.

I pray for him and for the billions of others around the world who face such trying circumstances. Please, Father, give them patience and endurance, but also, I pray, hasten the time when their communities will become prosperous enough to afford such things as air conditioning—and refrigeration, and abundant lighting, and rapid and safe personal transportation, and education and health care and many other things—which we in the developed world take for granted.

Move upon the hearts of Your people in wealthy countries to look for and act on ways to help, even as You work to bring about the order and liberty and justice and truth necessary for currently poor societies to overcome their poverty. In Jesus’ name, amen.