Fathering the Fatherless

I could not wait to get home from church today so that I could put all of what I heard this morning into our blog!

Today at church, a very profound man spoke to us on the subject of God's heart for the fatherless. This man, would be plastered on every celebrity magazine cover, people would follow him and aim to look like him, to be like him. He would be lifted up and given rounds of applause wherever he went if heaven were here on earth. He is meek. "The meek shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5 He is Pastor Matatu of the Highfield Church of the Nazarene in Zimbabwe Africa. Our church supports three of the orphan care homes that he oversees each housing 12 orphans and 1 widow. We do this through a partnership with Hands of Hope. http://www.hohafrica.org

Anyway, Pastor Matatu and his wife Irene travelled to our church to speak to us about all that we can do to share God's heart in caring for orphans and he delivered practical ways that ALL of us can get involved. Here are the steps he gave:

1. PRAY for them! : "prayer is the key to everything, and there is so much power in prayer." I forget to do this and I often overlook the importance of this simple act of obedience  We can all pray! We can lift the orphaned up and pray for their needs, their healing, their protection....so on and so forth.

2. SPEAK for them: "defend the cause of the fatherless." Take up defense for them, speak up for their rights and be their voice.

3. PROVIDE for their needs, if you can: "you don't have to be rich, you only have to have a willing heart, where there is a will, there is a way."

4. SUPPORT the workers that are working to help the orphaned. Meet their physical and moral needs.

5. PROTECT them from harm: most of the orphaned are rendered defenseless and therefore they need protection.

6. VISIT them where they are: Pastor Matatu mentioned that some of the orphans they care for have gone from home to home to home, usually pushed aside because they cannot be cared for. It is essential that these orphans receive love. We can love them, we can visit them, listen to them, hold them, play with them and provide solace for them.

7. GIVE sacrificially: give until it hurts, give of your life, give of your time, give of your finances...just give. It's so much better than receiving.

8. ENCOURAGE them to press on: give them hope for the future.

9. MOBILIZE your church: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." Matthew 28:19

10. ADOPT them into your family, if you can

His closing point was this,

There are many orphans around the world, GOD LOVES THEM ALL.

My two cents:

Orphans are everywhere

They are in your city, on your street, in your school, they are in other countries, they are living, they are dying, they are young, they are old, they are from broken homes, they are trafficked, they are abused, they are malnourished, they are sad, they are hopeless, they are happy, they are active, they are joyful, they are sick, they are thieves, they are students, they are cold....

The list is daunting, the cause is large. But people, we are the church! We CAN move!

I don't know how this hits you or if it hits you at all. I simply am passing on the message that resonates deep within me. I will pray today that YOU will DO what you are called to do! And, please pray for me, that I would do what I am called to do!

I love you people! Go and do something today to bless someone else!

#deenassoapbox