Judith 9:1-14: a reflection

1But Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth with which she was clothed. The incense of that evening was now being offered at Jerusalem in the house of God, and Judith cried to the Lord with a loud voice, and said, 2“O Lord God of my father Simeon, into whose hand you gave a sword to take vengeance on the strangers who loosened the belt of a virgin to defile her, uncovered her thigh to her shame, and profaned her womb to her reproach; for you said, ‘It shall not be so;’ and they did so. 3Therefore you gave their rulers to be slain, and their bed, which was ashamed for her who was deceived, to be dyed in blood, and struck the servants with their masters, and the masters upon their thrones; 4and gave their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among your dear children; which were moved with zeal for you, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon you for aid. O God, O my God, hear me also who am a widow. 5For you did the things that were before those things, and those things, and such as come after; and you planned the things which are now, and the things which are to come. The things which you planned came to pass. 6Yes, the things which you determined stood before you, and said, ‘Behold, we are here; for all your ways are prepared, and your judgment is with foreknowledge.’ 7For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power. They are exalted with horse and rider. They were proud of the strength of their footmen. They have trusted in shield, spear, bow, and sling. They don’t know that you are the Lord who breaks the battles. ‘The Lord’ is your name. 8Break their strength in your power, and bring down their force in your wrath; for they intend to profane your sanctuary, and to defile the tabernacle where your glorious name rests, and to destroy the horn of your altar with the sword. 9Look at their pride, and send your wrath upon their heads. Give into my hand, which am a widow, the might that I have conceived. 10Strike by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with his servant. Break down their arrogance by the hand of a woman. 11For your power stands not in numbers, nor your might in strong men, but you are a God of the afflicted. You are a helper of the oppressed, a helper of the weak, a protector of the forsaken, a savior of those who are without hope. 12Please, please, God of my father, and God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and of the earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer. 13Make my speech and deceit to be their wound and bruise, who intend hard things against your covenant, your holy house, the top of Zion, and the house of the possession of your children. 14Make every nation and tribe of yours to know that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the race of Israel but you.”

Before her dangerous mission, Judith, a widow with no standing of her own, prays. And at the heart of her prayer is a confession about the kind of God she serves: your strength is not in numbers, nor your might in the strong, but you are a God of the lowly, a helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forsaken, a savior of those without hope. She casts herself, weak and alone, entirely on the God who is precisely the champion of the weak.

Notice the God Judith describes. Not a God who sides with the strong and numerous, who backs the well-resourced and the secure, but a God whose strength shows itself through the lowly, who helps the oppressed, upholds the weak, protects the forsaken, and saves the hopeless. She names, one after another, exactly the kinds of people the world overlooks and writes off, and says: this is who God is for. And on that basis, a lone widow dares to act.

That is a prayer worth praying from our own places of weakness. When you feel lowly, oppressed, weak, forsaken, or without hope, Judith's prayer tells you that you are precisely the one God delights to help. His strength is not reserved for the strong; it shows itself through the weak who lean on him. If you feel you have nothing, no numbers, no strength, no resources, you are in the very position where God loves to act. Cast yourself, as Judith did, on the God of the lowly, the helper of the weak, the savior of the hopeless. He is for you.

Lord, Judith prayed to you as the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope. When I feel weak, overlooked, forsaken, or hopeless, remind me that these are exactly the ones you delight to help. Your strength is not reserved for the strong; it shows itself through the weak who lean on you. I cast myself on you, the God of the lowly. Be my helper.