Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
This is a powerful conditional promise. If you give to the poor, then the Lord will pay you back again what you gave away. God uses an intriguing word in this promise principle: “lend.” He wants us to see that when we give to the poor we are actually “lending to the Lord.” Lend means expecting it back again, as repayment for a loan. Of course, the poor cannot repay, but the Lord can, and the amazing promise is that He does repay.
God is using us as a conduit to get help to them and show mercy on those in need. God gives us money to give to others, not to waste on our own desires. And He promises to repay the loan. God never reneges on His debts. If we can see charity as a loan with repayment coming, then we would more readily give. It is not as if we suffer loss when we give away.
Giving to the poor is lending to the Lord. We need to see those in a need as though they were disguised as Jesus. Like Jesus says, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” This point of view could affect how we see other people, especially the sick, weak, and poor. If we saw Jesus in them, at least potentially, we would treat them differently. The promise of paying back helps us see two things: one is that when we give we are lending, the second is that the giving is to the Lord. Then we believe the promise: the Lord repays. With interest.