A Heart for the Needs of the Orphan

From June 19, 2009:

With the number of orphans worldwide topping the charts at about 130 million, what can we, as God’s children, do to help the situation?  That’s a hard question to examine.  Why?  Facing the truth of the number of children without parents is devastating and heartbreaking.  That’s a truth many of us don’t want to face.  We look around us and can only see that there isn’t room in our homes, our hearts, and our lives for another child to take up residence.  We see that we are older and done with rearing children.  The question that remains is:  What does God’s word say regarding the orphan?  Is there a call on your life to reach out to the orphan?  Let’s take a look at what our “guidebook” says on this matter.  For those that are well-versed in orphan knowledge the following verse is one you know well – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).  Wow!  That verse will definitely make you think.  We are to “look after orphans…in their distress.”  How can we do that?  What does that look like?  Another verse states: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).  Do you know who said those words?  Jesus said them.  He was sent to bring us to our Father.  God did not want to leave us alone in our distress or otherwise.  So he provided a way for us to connect with Him.  We were once orphans ourselves.  How can we not reach out to the orphans around us and do for them what God has done for us?

Can you put yourself into a scenario for a moment?  Imagine being a young child that is only touched for the most minimal of reasons, spoken to for the shortest of moments, and not aware of what love truly is.  How would you survive?  How do those children that currently reside in ungodly orphanages manage to survive without love and touch and kindness?  Only, I imagine, by the grace of God.  He is there with them in their distress.  He meets them where they are and cares for them in ways we can’t begin to understand.  What is it that makes me want to share the needs of orphans with you?  A heart full of love and sorrow.  A belief that we can do something.  One person can make a difference.  Jesus did.  We can.  How can you make a difference in the lives of these dear children who need families to love them?  There are several ways listed below.

1. Pray for them.  Take time once a week to lift up the needs of these children during your prayer time.  You can pray for a specific country, age group, or gender.  Or just pray for all of them – that God would bring about a way for these children to come into a loving, Christian forever family.
2. Speak up for them.  There are numerous ways you can inform others about the needs of orphaned and waiting children.  You can become an advocate for them and let people know about resources that are available to meet adoption needs, etc.
3. Provide for their needs.  I realize that we are in a time of financial strain, but there are several ways to provide for the needs of orphans.  You can sponsor an orphan through many different websites and adoption agencies (like Compassion, only for orphans).  You can put money into someone’s adoption fund.  The costs of adoption are very high, especially for international adoption.  If you know of a family that is in the process of adopting, I’m sure any donation you could give them would help with costs.
4. Support those who support them.  This could be done in so many ways.  If you know of a foster family near you, ask them what you can do to help them.  It may be as simple as giving them a chance to go for a walk around the block without any children in tow.  If you know of a family waiting to get word that they have been matched to a child, pray with them, encourage them.  The wait to adopt can stretch into the 36 month range and sometimes beyond.  It is not an easy time.  Imagine, ladies, being pregnant for even 24 months.  You would ask God continually for His strength.  Come alongside these families and be there for them.
5. Protect them from harm.  You may be the perfect candidate for foster parenting.  There are many children out there who need to be in a loving, caring, safe home.  What better home for them than one where Christian parents reside?  Is there a need for a children’s home or an orphanage to be built?  Can you help do this to get those children off of the street and into safety?
6. Visit them where they are.  Go to them.  Many adoption agencies and other groups set up orphanage mission trips.  These opportunities will not only stretch you but also bless the children on the other end receiving you.  Find out if there is a children’s home near you and see if you can volunteer your time, talents, or cooking ability to bless them.
7. Give sacrificially to them.  Again, finances are tight, but is God calling you to regularly give above and beyond to orphans.  There are many ways to do just that.  Search them out and find the one that’s right for you and your family.
8. Encourage them to press on.  Sponsor an orphan and send them words of encouragement and love.  Find a way to meet with and encourage foster kids in your area.  They need to know someone is concerned for them.
9. Adopt them into your family.  This is a big one!  We were all adopted if we call God our Father.  Can we see fit to bring a child into our home, our family, our hearts?  It’s a large order, but if God is doing the asking, then He will provide the way and the means and the love.
10. Mobilize your church for them.  Start a church orphans’ ministry at your church.  Plan a mission trip to an orphanage.  Raise funds to meet the needs of a local children’s home. 

God is calling us to care for orphans, to reach out to them and love them.  Pray over the above list and ask God what He would have you do.  It’s a bold request, but one I feel compelled to make because the needs are so great.  Tony and I have worked with two other couples at our church to start an orphans’ ministry.  Each couple came into the planning stages of Woven Hearts Ministry for a different reason, but God has brought together six people with one heart – a heart for children everywhere in need of forever families.  If you have any questions or want more information on anything, please let me know.

[Editor’s note:  The above list of ten things was taken from a brochure produced by Hope for Orphans^® and additional text was added below each point by the author.]