30 Days of Praying for Children and FamiliesНамуна

When we read the Bible, and when we look beyond the pages into the world around us, it’s clear that along the way, humans have lost sight of God's heart for justice.

As we follow the story of God’s people, we see they repeatedly fall short of their calling to justice and compassion.

In Isaiah chapter 1, God states his distaste for Israel’s worship.

Israel has substituted ritual sacrifice for true worship; God is telling them, in no uncertain terms, that worship of him that fails to include acts of justice, care, and compassion, isn’t enough.

Today, we live in a world that is ill with injustice. There are people who have been let down by systems that are supposed to protect them, and people who were supposed to care for them.

On our church doorsteps, there are people struggling to navigate the waters of life, as challenge after challenge is tossed their way.

Every child and young person deserves to live and grow in a stable environment where they’ll experience love, care, support, and encouragement.

Yet injustices within the systems and structures that some families find themselves within mean that these things are not always possible for them.

What does it look like for us to worship God – our God of justice – when we’re aware of the brokenness around us?

Prayer

As you get out your keys, open your front door, and enter your home, give thanks for this place of belonging God has provided for you.

Bring to God in prayer those children and young people for whom ‘home’ is a place of difficulty or even trauma.

Pray for peace for those feeling unsettled and displaced.

Pray for the children and young people who right now are waiting for the right home to be found for them. Pray boldly that more people will step forward, with the right skills and in the right places, to be a foster or adoptive family or to care for a teenager through supported lodgings.