30 DAYS OF PRAYER | DAY 21 – Praying for the Fatherless & Widow
Throughout the old and new testament are instruction pertaining to the care of widows and the fatherless. God cares for them, and expects us to care for them as well.
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
learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. Isaiah 1:17
The world we live in today is not that different from the time that scripture was written- at least with respect to the issue at hand. Today, there are still fatherless and widows with us, and they are still afflicted- by those who would prey upon the helpless, and by cowardly selfish men, who care for themselves, and are blind to the needs of others.
God created men to care for his family, to love his wife and children, to protect them, to provide for them, & to lead them. When the man is removed from the family, his wife and children become targets for those who love possessions more than people. They become victimized and cheated, oppressed and lied to.
I love my wife and kids, and I will fight to provide for them and to protect them. This is what God has created men to do as husbands and fathers. But He has also created men to right wrongs, to bring justice to the fatherless, to plead the widow’s cause, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction. God expects men to take notice and intervene on behalf of widows and orphans and those who cannot defend themselves.
It is my prayer that the men of Redemption Church would be known for how much they love people- far more than they do their possessions. I pray that God would give us a heightened awareness of the fatherless and the widow among us and in our communities, and that we would look after their well-being as we do our own families. I pray that we would be a people who are aware of the needs of others who have no advocate, no defender. I pray that God would burden our hearts for the widow and orphan. I pray that he would make us a people of action. And I pray that God would greatly bless and make whole the orphan and widow, that their every need would be met, and they would be well cared for in their time of need by faithful men in our church.
Will you pray for this with us?
This post was written by Chris Gray, Associate Pastor at Redemption Church.
–January 12th is a very big day for Redemption Church! Thank you for praying with us! For more information about the launch of Redemption Church and how you can pray for us, please click here.