This week’s challenge will be short and sweet. We all know that God wants us to visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction. We know that He said we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. But HOW do we do that? Where do we start? This week, I’m going to challenge you to do one simple thing that will mark a beginning point in this area. But first, I want to share with you why I so often suggest starting here.
Several years ago, I received a letter from a young woman whom I had met while sharing about the ministry of Forbid Them Not in a church near her home. In the letter, she shared about her burden to minister to the fatherless, but she didn’t know how or where to start. I wrote back and made a simple suggestion. A couple of months later, I received another letter from this woman. It was a letter full of joy. She told about how she had committed to do one thing every day, and as a result the Lord opened up a relationship with a single mom for whom this family had been burdened for years. The young woman and her sister began tutoring this single mother’s son. A relationship, which, in the past, had been strained, became a relationship of open communication and investment. It opened doors to share with this fatherless family about Christ and His love for them.
So what was that one little thing?
PRAYER
Maybe that seems too simple, but sometimes simple is the best thing we can do! Here is the challenge I gave her:
- Make a list of all the children you know who, for whatever reason, are living without one or both of their parents. This includes children in single-parent homes, children living with non-parental guardians such as grandparents or an aunt or uncle, children in foster care, or children in state or privately run institutions.
- Commit to pray for those children and their caregivers every day.
That’s it! Just start there. You may be surprised where this one simple step will lead.
I recently read a new book by an author that I have been following for a couple of years. I usually find his books practical and helpful. This new book, however, left me feeling like he was giving me ideas, painting a picture of the ideal situation, but not giving truly practical help. I had to read the book twice before I started seeing the practicality of it. I don’t want to do that to you. So I think we should also look at the question, How should we pray?
Here are a few ways to get started:
This simple step can lead to amazing things, so I want to make it simple. Click here for a printable version of the above card. Feel free to share it with others.
If you are willing to take this step, to make a list of the fatherless children in your sphere of influence and pray for them each day, do me a favor. Let me know by commenting below. We will pray with you as you step out in faith and worship.
Prayer changes things. It changes lives. It changes us.
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