Words of Comfort, Hope and Joyಮಾದರಿ

Our experiences with parents vary. Some grew up as orphans from birth or later in life. Besides those who lost their parents to death, many had their parents abandon them. Some had to live away from their impoverished parents in charitable homes where they received care. Others were wealthy enough to pursue better education, but they had to move to boarding schools, which meant missing the regular active presence of their parents for most of their lives. However, although our experiences with parents are diverse, the reality of God the Father remains constant and equal. The Lord is "father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation" (Psalms 68:5, ESV). He is the father to orphans and those who, for any reason, have not experienced adequate parental care.

Although God’s fatherhood is a universal truth that applies to all born into this world, those in Christ have the special privilege of being God’s sons and daughters. “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15, ESV).

Here is the twist! While the Lord is the father to the fatherless, he entrusts his followers, who have become his children through Jesus Christ, with the responsibility of caring for orphans on his behalf. The Old Testament command, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalms 82:3, ESV), also echoes in the New Testament. Apostle James exhorted his congregations that the measure of genuine spirituality is serving people experiencing poverty and the orphans. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27, ESV).

Here is the reassurance to hold onto. No matter our age or location, the Lord remains our caring Father. He conveys His fatherly care to the world through those who have become His children by faith in Jesus Christ. The call is to immerse ourselves in the Lord's fatherly care and to extend the same love to the needy.

Take time today to reflect on God’s role as the loving Father to the fatherless and vulnerable. Open your heart to receive his care and commit to sharing that love with others in need.